At five in the morning, the shops are dark and there's no one in sight on Sai Yeung Choi Street South, usually one of Mong Kok's busiest spots. But it's a different scene in a brightly lit basement restaurant down the road. One of the few businesses in the area to stay open overnight, the McDonald's outlet draws a broad mix of people: teenagers chattering over early breakfast, gamers, night workers and a few who find the restaurant convenient for a snooze, resting heads on their arms over the tables.
But university student Lai Hoi-chuen has a more serious goal. He's cramming for an exam the next day, apparently unaffected by the background music and noisy teenagers. 'I can't study at home. There are too many temptations like TV, comics and video games,' says Lai, a nursing major who lives nearby. 'I've been studying at McDonald's since my A-levels. I come here because the library and study rooms are too crowded.'
The fast-food chain has become a favoured hangout for night owls across Hong Kong since expanding its 24-hour service last year. Although the first such outlet opened 20 years ago, a McDonald's spokesman says a 'change in customers' lifestyles, such as longer working time and late dining hours' meant more were needed. Of the chain's 200 branches in the city, 55 now operate round the clock.
Many have become overnight study centres for students who can't secure a place at the usual venues. Mark Mak, who was cramming with friends at a Causeway Bay outlet the night before sitting for his last paper in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, is among them. 'My family knows I'm here,' Mak says. 'It's a nice place, except the music is too loud and I can't stand the weirdoes who occasionally show up.'
Hong Kong is living up to its slogan as a city that never sleeps. People are increasingly accustomed to late nights as the 24/7 lifestyle sets in, says cultural commentator Bottle Shiu Ka-chun. 'More and more people work late hours now ... There are more jobs that require late shifts and working hours are longer than ever before. Our society has changed its pace. The 'golden time' for evening meals used to be 7pm; now it's 9pm,' says Shiu, who teaches social work at the Baptist University.
But where the late-night crowd used to be scattered, with youngsters concentrated in video arcades and middle-aged workers in neighbourhood diners or cha chaan teng, the fast-food chain attracts people across the spectrum. Its 24-hour service is a welcome addition for people who dislike the din and stale air in venues such as karaoke bars, internet cafes and video arcades, Shiu says.