Neon sign maker Lau Wan
You know that giant neon sign at Jumbo Kingdom seafood restaurant? Meet its maker Lau Wan, who has been crafting neon signs for over 60 years. The 75-year-old talks to Yannie Chan about the golden age of neon signs and the industry’s possible demise.
HK: How did you get into the industry?
LW: My dad installed street signs, and he referred me to a neon sign production company. I first helped my sifu [master] by washing clothes and cooking. But I stayed behind at night and started burning and bending the glass tubes myself, and showed my sifu in the morning. That won his trust, and he gradually taught me more.
HK: Did the neon sign business make big money when you started?
LW: When I first started, I made $30 a month. By the 60s and 70s, I’m sure it was very profitable but only the company knows. There were so many orders that we had to work overtime—I slept at work for several weeks straight. Other than banks, restaurants, jewelry shops and nightclubs, we’ve created signs for bakeries, ketchup brands and fashion boutiques. Whatever your business, you needed a neon sign.
HK: What do you love most about making neon signs?
LW: I’ve never thought about whether or not I like it. It’s just what I do to support my family. It’s a tough job. You’re next to an 800°C gas furnace all day, and I’m sure it’s not very healthy. It’s a lonely and boring job. I quit once when I was younger, but I came back. What’s special is that you learn something new every day: No two signs are made the same way.
HK: What happens if you screw up?
LW: You have to make the sign in one go, and you can’t afford to make any mistakes. If something goes wrong, you have to throw the entire sign away and start from scratch. I wasn’t bothered by this when I was young. It wasn’t until I became a sifu that I stressed over the shape and the colors. I would get butterflies in my stomach if the design seemed off.
HK: What’s your proudest creation?
LW: The most memorable is the [now-demolished] National Panasonic sign on Nathan Road. The Guinness World Records awarded it as the world’s largest neon sign at the time. More than 50 people worked together on it for six months. It was a pain to make because the Chinese characters have so many pen strokes. Nowadays, we make a lot more neon signs in English than in Chinese.
