IN THE recesses of Mongkok lurk scores of dark little shops which gauge the opinions of the territory's adolescents far more efficiently than any public opinion survey organisation.
Every day, thousands of sim car (literally shiny cards) bearing pictures of local pop and film stars are peddled to fans. In addition to the usual suspects - Canto-pop kings Leon Lai Ming, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau, Andy Lau Tak-wah and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Faye Wong Ching-man and Sandy Lam Yik-leen - the cards also depict Miss Hong Kong Halima Tam Siu-wan and her two runners-up, Annamarie Wood and Theresa Lee Yee-hung. It is whispered that although the radio and television stations pay lip service and fat fees to audience research companies, their main gauge of an artist's popularity is the number of sim car sold to spotty youths.
There is always the concern that unscrupulous agents and record companies may trawl through the shops buying up cards picturing performers on their books but it is as accurate an indication of people's feelings as one can hope for in an imperfect world.
How long will it be before the rest of Hong Kong starts buying sim car imprinted with photographs of our captains of industry, socialites, politicians and public figures, with the sales figures used to indicate their popularity and the impact of their policies? The trade in Top Glory president Andrew Yang Fang-shing cards, for example, would have all but evaporated by now following the police raid on his home and office in connection with the planned takeover of National Mutual Insurance. There would also have been a sharp drop in cards depicting legislator Chim Pui-chung after his comments on television about women being either mistresses or wives. Trade in Cristal Li's would be practically moribund but could be expected to pick up when she comes back from her holidays with several steamer trunks full of frocks for the coming ball season.
On the other hand, new police commissioner Eddie Hui Ki-on's sim car would probably be shifting like the proverbial hot cakes in light of his user-friendly debut earlier this month. Futures trading in Hui cards is not recommended, however, since there are always some renegade gangs on the horizon ready to scythe down unfortunates with automatic rifle fire and the popularity of the police is bound to suffer.
IT HAD been advertised as an evening of miracles but the idea of the Divinity hurling hundreds of megatons of nuclear warheads at China from a launch pad in Mongkok seemed less miraculous than ludicrous.
