【Festive Offer】Precious Hong Kong 2

# Festive Special Packaging 【Hong Kong Region Exclusive】 **To ensure delivery before Christmas, please complete your online order by December 19th at the latest.** -- About this issue: As 2024 draws to a close, "Being Hong Kong" proudly presents a re-edited "Collector's Edition"— "Precious Hong Kong 2: The City Special." With 404 pages, featuring over 400 historical images, photographs, and illustrations, drawn from the now out-of-print "Being Hong Kong" quarterly magazines of 2021 and 2022. Explore 3 major themes: Hong Kong streets, urban typography, and the Kowloon Walled City, with over 20 unique visual and textual stories from diverse perspectives. REedit REdesign REprint, transforming quarterly issues into a timeless book. REvisit REthink RECreate, let's wander through the city's time and space together. We've come this far, and together, we'll journey into the future. Highlights of this Issue: #REclaim REmap RElive HK Streetscapes REvisit// Hong Kong Streets Through Foreign Lenses From John Thomson, one of the earliest photographic recorders of the Far East, to Ed Van der Elsken of Magnum Photos, and Keith Macgregor, who spent over 50 years capturing Hong Kong from the 1970s onwards, witness the evolution of urban streetscapes through the lenses of three foreign photographers from different eras and styles. REcord// Bustling Streets, Ever-Changing Peter Cookson Smith, an urban planner who has lived in Hong Kong for over 40 years, has continuously observed the old districts of Hong Kong since the millennium, meticulously sketching the vibrant chaos of its streets. Meanwhile, Leo Chan, a design scholar from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, examines local neon signs, typography, and the Ladies' Market, identifying key elements that shape Hong Kong's street culture. For them, the experience of "walking the streets" in Hong Kong is uniquely profound... REdiscover// Strolling Through Central No matter how Central transforms, the planning principles from its early days are still discernible; its mountainous terrain, limited flat land, the coexistence of old and new, and the dynamic interplay between Chinese and Western influences have all shaped its character and the fabric of its streets. From 180 years ago to the present, Des Voeux Road, running east-west along the tramline, and the elevated paths, slopes, and escalators climbing the hills, reveal the city's resilience and grandeur in their intricate network. REgion// Where There Are Streets, There Are Districts Kowloon Tong, Tai Kok Tsui, and San Po Kong, three districts with distinct historical backgrounds and atmospheres, showcase early 20th-century garden city concepts and later industrial community planning. Hong Kong creators Lam Kin-choi, UUendy Lau, and Penso, each with their unique styles, interpret their thoughts and feelings about these districts from their individual perspectives and artistic approaches. #REcollect REthink REwrite The HK Characters Reminiscence// Urban Typography, Hong Kong's Fading Beauty "Not all reunions are possible after a long separation." Lam Hiu-man, founder of "Hong Kong's Fading Beauty," has witnessed the rapid changes in traditional neon signs in recent years due to new legislation. As the vibrant lights gradually dim, she uses images and words to document the beauty of local signage typography and craftsmanship. REvive// New Generation Type Designers, A Font Revival Movement In recent years, a new generation of Hong Kong designers and independent type creators have been rediscovering the historical origins of common street fonts like Bei Wei Ti, Li Han Kai Ti, and Prison Style. Simultaneously, they are redesigning or digitizing disappearing fonts, hoping to preserve Hong Kong's unique street scenery while reconnecting with the city's cultural roots. REfract// Words and Pictures in Tai Nan Street Tai Nan Street in Sham Shui Po has become one of the most talked-about streets in recent years. Photographers have journeyed along Tai Nan Street and its surrounding areas, focusing on typography to capture the interactions between various old and new shops, different generations, and people from diverse backgrounds and social strata, thereby revealing the complexity and vitality of this community. REmember// How Tsang Tsou-choi Vanished from Hong Kong's Streets In April 2022, the "authentic calligraphy of Emperor of Kowloon" revealed under the railway bridge on Boundary Street in Mong Kok sparked a new wave of preservation efforts. The "Emperor's" calligraphy once adorned streets across Hong Kong and Kowloon, becoming a shared memory for many Hongkongers. However, after the "Emperor's" passing in 2007, his street calligraphy gradually became buried or disappeared. #REvisit REcord REbirth Kowloon Walled City Reborn REcord// City of Darkness, Where Light Resides "City of Darkness: Life and Death in Kowloon Walled City," co-authored by British architect Ian Lambot and Canadian photographer Greg Girard, is a classic record of the Kowloon Walled City. It dispelled previous one-sided impressions and became an important reference for future studies of the Walled City. REbuild// The Possibilities of the Walled City In 1991, Ho Sun, an American-Chinese architect and daughter of Tao Ho, conducted ten months of architectural research in the Walled City. The adaptability of its residents gave her a deeper understanding of humanity and later inspired her concepts and practices for creating livable environments in high-density urban settings. REimagine// Post-Walled City Era: Infinite Rebirth After the demolition of the Walled City, various related creative works, including novels, comics, films, and games, have emerged in Hong Kong and overseas. These include local author Yu Yee's novel "Kowloon Walled City," cartoonist Szeto Kim-kiu's comic adaptation, designer/illustrator Rex Koo's "Comic City Tales," and the virtual game by post-90s game designer Poki Chan. Each showcases their unique emotional projections of the Walled City. ISBN:978-988-74818-5-0 Price: HK$200 Printed and Produced in: Hong Kong Publication Date: Late December