Hundreds of thousands turn out for Lunar New Year fireworks

The Year of the Snake hit the city with a bang last night with 4.5 tonnes of explosives fired off in the fireworks display above Victoria Harbour. About 340,000 people watched the fireworks at the peak of the display, police said, most of them on the Kowloon side.

"What's that? It's all big and wriggling about. It looks like a snake!" said Ian Ting Yi-sun as he watched the display from the front of the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

The six-year-old, perched on his aunt's shoulders, was among the revellers bidding farewell to the Year of the Dragon.

"I hope for good health and for Hong Kong to have less negativity and political tension," said Amy Yu, a housewife.

At the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in Causeway Bay, seven young cancer patients and their families were bundled up and sat out at the patio, as part of an outing organised by the Red Cross Hospital Schools.

"The fireworks here are like they're flying in my face. The last part was the best," said Lam Yi-ning, 11, whose brain cancer has recently gone into remission.