Shedding light on a hot topic

Twenty people gather in Nathan Road and look up at the same flashing advertising sign for a minute.

The 20, all from different professions, none of whom know each other, have joined a 'Nathan Road tour' with the same purpose - to see the world famous thoroughfare's dazzling array of neon signs.

They are trying to count the flickering frequency of a four-storey advertising sign. Some estimate that the sign is flickering 10 times a minute, others 20 times, but most give up early because the sign is too bright to look at for a whole 60 seconds.

When told that the flickering frequency is 40 times a minute, the group is amazed. 'How do you live next to a flickering light like this?' is the common response.

The first stop on the tour is St Andrew's church on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. The group stands next to the church, which is dimly lit. They are told that there are regulations governing the lighting used on important buildings in countries like Britain.

'There are stars, in Tsim Sha tsui,' one group member says in amazement pointing at the sky. 'The weather is much cooler than we expect,' another says.