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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, has tonight (July 2) 'brought to life' a giant Brand Hong Kong dragon that will light up the night sky.
The 26-metre long by 15-metre high neon sign has been built atop the Queensway Government Offices in Admiralty by the Architectural Services Department to promote Hong Kong as Asia's world city.
The huge dragon, which uses almost 450 neon tubes, was switched on during a ceremony across the harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Mr Tsang used a specially-designed light sabre to direct a light beam at the dragon to switch it on in a brilliant flash of colour.
"This is our latest - and most visible - effort to keep the spirit of the Hong Kong dragon in the hearts and minds of residents and visitors," Mr Tsang told more than 100 guests who witnessed the event from the rooftop of the Ocean Terminal.
"From now on, whenever you see one of those trademark photos of our night-time skyline, the Brand Hong Kong dragon will be there, shining brightly for all to see.
"No doubt, it will feature in a wide variety of promotional material such as photos, calendars and videos."
Mr Tsang said the Brand Hong Kong dragon had been used extensively locally and overseas to promote Hong Kong as Asia's world city.
"During my visits overseas on behalf of the SAR Government, people often comment on how much they like our Brand Hong Kong dragon," he said.
"The dragon's free flowing lines - which incorporate both the Chinese characters for 'Heung Gong' and the English letters H K - embody the free spirit of Hong Kong people.
"The Brand Hong Kong dragon represents our core values - progressiveness, freedom, stability, opportunity and quality.
"These underpin the uniqueness of our society and development as a sophisticated economy.
"Hong Kong people and I are all proud of these. I wear this little dragon on the lapel of my coat every day."
Mr Tsang thanked the Director of Architectural Services, Mr S H Pau and his colleagues for designing and overseeing the construction of the Brand Hong Kong neon dragon.
The sign will be lit each night between 8 o'clock and midnight.
End/Tuesday, July 2, 2002
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