Sex, Drugs and Karaoke
Some say the opening of Tseung Kwan O’s first karaoke venue could corrupt young people and turn them to drugs. Winnie Yeung weighs up the great karaoke debate.
Tseung Kwan O district has the second youngest population in Hong Kong. It is a fairly new district with 400,000 residents, 120,000 of which are aged 15 to 34, according to the 2006 census. So it might be a little astonishing to many to learn that Tseung Kwan O does not have one single karaoke lounge. Over the past few decades, karaoke has become perhaps the most popular form of entertainment for local young people and lounges can be found in most districts in the city. Recently, a karaoke chain expressed interest in opening a venue in a shopping center in Tseung Kwan O, but what followed was a flood of objections from the community, saying opening a karaoke lounge would “damage the simple lifestyle” there.
The karaoke bar in question here is California Red, one of the two big chains in town with 18 outlets across Hong Kong. They saw an opportunity to tap into the un-tapped market of Tseung Kwan O and were soon preparing to rent the soon-to-be vacated second floor of Hau Tak Shopping Centre in Hau Tak Estate. The landlord is Link REIT, the real estate trust which now manages all public housing estates and their facilities such as car parks, markets and shopping centers, and back in June it expressed the wish to lease the space to California Red, provided the karaoke chain could obtain all necessary licenses to operate. California Red’s proposed operation model for this outlet is similar to the ones you see in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay—it would serve alcohol and it would stay open until 4am. If it opened, it would also be the very first karaoke lounge in a public housing estate.
This is California Red’s second attempt to open an outlet in Tseung Kwan O—they wanted to open at the nearby shopping center La Cite but also received strong opposition from the district council so eventually shelved that plan. And for this time, once again their proposal has met with strong opposition from the district council and resident groups in the area. A district council meeting last week found only one member supported plans for a karaoke venue in the area, while the rest all voted against it.
Veteran Sai Kung district councilor Ling Man-hoi spearheaded the opposition. He said opening a California Red in the area would ruin the “simple” lifestyle of the people in Tseung Kwan O. “We are not against the activity of karaoke, but we want a karaoke bar that does not operate late, does not sell alcohol, and is preferably far, far away from the residential area,” he says. “This California Red will only deteriorate our environment and worsen our teenage drug problem.”
If we take a minute to consider Ling’s statement—he is apparently linking late-night karaoke to crime, alcohol abuse and teenage drug problems. Ling, who confessed he has never been to a karaoke lounge, said he believes alcohol leads to drugs. “Well you know, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs—they are all of the same thing,” he says. “Once the kids are in karaoke, how do we know what they will be doing behind closed doors?” He further elaborated that he thought if a karaoke lounge didn’t sell alcohol, kids would be less likely to do drugs there. Currently there are venues in the area that open late until 2am. They are bars, restaurants, game centers and internet bars, and some of them carry a liquor license, which Ling says he does not have a problem with. But a karaoke lounge with a liquor license? He does.
You might find the whole thing ludicrous but this misunderstanding about karaoke is strong in the air and has become the majority opinion in the district, especially among parents worrying that their children will get into trouble if a karaoke venue opens. Bonny Cheng, a mother who has lived in the area for 20 years says, “When people are enjoying themselves too much [with alcohol], they may lose control easily. It operates till late and this is dangerous to people living around the area.” In earlier interviews with the local press, a spokesperson for California Red said she resented the misconception about their venue, and that her company promotes karaoke as a healthy activity for all ages. Needless to say, kids are thrilled at the possibility of finally seeing a karaoke lounge in their own neighborhood.