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The buzz

On Saturday I experienced yet another 'I love Hong Kong moment' - as my girlfriend and I call them - walking from SoHo down to the Central MTR station. Most long-term residents must have had one of these, which often involve a random confluence of sights and sounds - and sometimes even smells - that overwhelm the senses and remind the beholder just how amazing this city really is.

First, the unfamiliar sound of live rock music surging out of the old Central Police Station caught my ears. The main entrance on Hollywood Road was open, so I strolled into the compound for the first time since helping a friend pay his bail in the 1990s, and wandered into a fair in the historic courtyard of the colonial prison complex.

A local band was playing on a stage, a group of lion dancers waited for their chance to perform, children played in the shade under the beautiful old trees and elderly people sat about chatting happily. It was a lively and yet a serene scene, surrounded by some of the last physical reminders of Hong Kong's colonial heritage. I wondered whether we'd see more live music events after the revitalisation project planned for the compound, which has pretty much been sitting idle since it was closed five years ago.

Then, moving down Pottinger Street and passing an elaborate wedding shoot on the stone steps, I noticed a policeman bailing up a busker. It turned out the incident was being staged for a film shoot (adding even more to the 'I love Hong Kong moment'), but it brought to mind the recent legal troubles of our best-known street performer, 'Mr Funny'.

The use of our heritage buildings for entertainment and official attitudes towards spontaneous expressions of creativity have been on my mind amid the mounting public anger over the Central Police Station revamp; the drama over the Cattle Depot Artist Village (basically left deserted due to government restrictions); the news that the Sunbeam Theatre, the city's only permanent Chinese opera venue, is likely to close next year because of a big rent increase; and the Mr Funny case (he was eventually acquitted of obstructing a public place).

Yes, the government is planning to build a 'cultural hub' in West Kowloon and says it's trying to foster an appreciation of the arts in the community, but what about the cultural resources - in both material and human terms - that we already have? Why bother with this 'build it and they will come' attitude when 'it' and 'they' are already here?

Just as in Singapore, authorities in Hong Kong are designating zones for busking and introducing auditions for aspiring street performers, but the Lion City leaves us in the dust when it comes to creative use of historic buildings. Here are just a few examples: the bar/clubbing complex at St James Power Station, the Arts House at the Old Parliament, and the revitalised Chijmes Hall, which is now home to restaurants and theatrical performances.

What we have, instead, in Hong Kong are low expectations for the Central Police Station revamp since the project was awarded to the Jockey Club without prior consultation, and hopeful visitors chased out of the Cattle Depot in To Kwa Wan by overzealous security guards because the decidedly non-flammable brick complex lacks fire safety facilities.

Creative use of historic structures offers the public a chance to connect with the city's heritage while being educated or entertained outside of a sterile, soulless environment. All of the ingredients are within reach - and all Going Out is hungry for is some progressive thinking.

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