Hong Kong comedian showers in controversial HK$50 million musical water fountain, closing it five days after opening
- Wong Kar-wai said that since his taxes helped build the facilities in Kwun Tong, he would take advantage of it by taking a bubble bath
- Critics have slammed the fountains as an expensive ‘white elephant’ project
A local comedian treated himself to a bubble bath at the newly opened Kwun Tong waterfront music fountain. Photo: YouTubeIn fewer than five days since it opened last Thursday, Kwun Tong’s controversial music fountains have been closed due to “a great deal of foam”.
Yesterday, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced that the fountains and their interactive play areas on the Kwun Tong Promenade would be closed temporarily until further notice, due to “suspected contamination of water with liquid soap”.
On Saturday, Wong Kar-wai, a local comedian and member of 100 Most, an online media platform for local news and entertainment, recorded a live video of himself taking a “shower” at the fountains to mock its expensive price tag.
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Wong said since his taxes contributed to the HK$50 million needed to build the facilities, he would take full advantage by having a bubble bath.
During the suspension of the fountains, the LCSD said they would be working to drain the water and clean the venue. They urged citizens to be civic-minded and considerate when using public facilities.
A comment on the video said the comedian’s act embodied “Hong Kong-style behavioral art”, adding that Wong went great lengths to “expose the corrupt government”.
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Critics have called the fountains a “white elephant” for being a useless facility with an expensive price tag.
The Kwun Tong music fountain project was part of the government‘s 2013 Signature Project Scheme. It gave HK$100 million to each of Hong Kong’s 18 districts for projects that would “address the needs of the district and have ... lasting impact in the community”, according to the Home Affairs Department website.
When it was first proposed last year, the construction of the music fountain was slammed by pro-democracy district councillors, who tried to stop the project. However, it still went ahead.