Editorial | Film sets highlight Hong Kong’s rich history and culture
The display provides a good example of harnessing the soft power of creative industries to promote the city amid a slow tourism recovery
The thrilling experience of aircraft swooping over the rooftop of tenement blocks in Kowloon City when descending into the old airport remains a collective memory in Hong Kong and beyond. Now travellers at the airport off Lantau Island are greeted with replicas of a film set from a blockbuster featuring an infamous enclave in the now-lost neighbourhood. The display provides a good example of harnessing the soft power of creative industries to promote the city, a much-needed step amid the slow pace of tourism recovery.
The life-size exhibits offer an immersive taste of the history and culture of Kowloon Walled City in its 1980s heyday. Another film set is shown in a shopping centre at the old Kai Tak airport site, which is now a prime commercial, residential and recreational area. The visually stunning details of the displays and the interesting tales surrounding the urban legend invite visitors to explore the city.
Having made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival with a standing ovation, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In has grossed more than HK$110 million in Hong Kong and has been selected to compete for the best international feature film at the 2025 Oscars. But it is a pity that the original film sets were discarded, dashing hopes of preserving them as permanent displays for public enjoyment.
Often characterised as a lawless precinct with poor living conditions, rampant prostitution and a thriving black market of pirated goods and narcotics controlled by triads, the Walled City may not be the face that the authorities want to show in tourism brochures and social media. Although the labyrinth-like ghetto with historical roots dating back to the imperial Qing dynasty of China was flattened into a lush urban park before the handover, it continues to inspire movies and tourism walks, and remains an integral part of Hong Kong’s culture and identity.
The pledge by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to launch more film-related tourism projects is a step in the right direction. Indeed, the city has yet to maximise its strength in the movie and related industries and unleash the full potential of film tourism, a strategy that has long been capitalised in other places. With better planning and coordination, the Hong Kong story still has an appeal to visitors.