Logos and slogans cannot hide the grim truth

The captain of SS Hong Kong is on shore leave and the bridge is unmanned.

How else was it possible for the large, temporary-looking neon signs to appear recently in the middle of Central? Hung on cheap wire mesh, this neon nonsense, complete with fake fireworks, sets out to persuade passers-by that they are in the 'City of Life'. These promotional pieces would look tacky at a Mongolian circus. In the same inspirational breath we announce to anyone who cares, and few do, that this is 'Asia's world city'. Either we can't afford sophisticated promotional media, or we can afford it but don't have the good taste to choose it.

But then, why do we need all these ill-conceived tag lines at all? Or any tag lines? If you are a world-class city people will get it. To the best of my knowledge London has not run an expensive advertising campaign proclaiming 'Europe's world city', complete with a pricey and meaningless logo. And if some genius put forward 'City of Life' to Sydney's community leaders, he would be laughed all the way to East Timor. If you must do it, then get it right like New York did years ago. One or two people in authority have still not learned that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, no matter how much money you throw at it. All it does is draw international attention to your inadequacies and sends a shiver of embarrassment through the local population.

In Hong Kong we made an almighty and conscious effort to eliminate every trace of our colonial past - the only past we ever had that was of interest to millions of people the world over. Left without a character, a personality that is real and meaningful, we now resort to making up inane advertising copy to replace it.

Meanwhile, our historical buildings, the only visible sign of our colourful history, were all torn down and thrown into the harbour.

PETER SHERWOOD