Year of the Dragon brings Hong Kong hope for luck, peace and prosperity
- Facing a testing economic and geopolitical environment in the year ahead will require wisdom, courage and creativity, all much needed characteristics of the dragon
Lunar New Year, with its fireworks, family gatherings, festive food and colourful traditions, is a time for new beginnings and hopes for the future. The most important Chinese festival, it is celebrated by two billion people around the world.
This year, Hong Kong’s celebrations will be back to their best having previously been curtailed by the pandemic.
Hundreds of thousands will head to the harbourside to enjoy the fireworks on Sunday, back after a four-year absence. They will be treated to a 23-minute display featuring lucky number eights and gold ingots.
Meanwhile, the Lunar New Year Fair has returned to its former scale, with food and merchandise available again, along with traditional flowers.
This is a happy time, when homes are decorated with red lanterns, peach blossoms and tangerine trees. Lion and dragon dances lift our spirits.
Hong Kong could do with a little optimism after a challenging Year of the Rabbit. The property and stock markets have taken a hit and the government is facing a big deficit.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po offered hope last Sunday, predicting that with external interest rates stabilising, better times lie ahead in the Year of the Dragon.
One of the city’s priorities is to get tourism back to pre-pandemic levels. More than a million visitors from the mainland are expected to pour into Hong Kong for the holiday, including up to 190 tour groups daily.
Hotels are anticipating a 90 per cent occupation rate. This could get the new year off to a promising start.
There must be no repeat of the travel chaos that followed the fireworks celebrating the arrival of 2024. Thousands of mainland visitors were stranded at the border as they tried to return home.
This time, the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint will be open 24 hours a day, for the five days from Friday. Lo Wu, the busiest border control, will Friday and Sunday be open until 2am. It is to be hoped that visitors from the mainland and overseas will have an enjoyable and memorable trip. The city has much to offer them.
Another testing year lies ahead. The mainland will be striving for an economic rebound while Hong Kong, still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, will introduce new security laws.
There will be a presidential election in the United States and we can expect geopolitical tensions to continue.
But the dragon’s characteristics include wisdom, courage and creativity. These qualities will be much needed.
Lunar New Year brings people together and generates hope for good luck, peace and prosperity. We wish our readers a wonderful holiday and wish them all the best for the Year of the Dragon.
