Chapter 427 Someone is unhappy

The opening ceremony of Lan Kwai Fong was held in no way inferior to that of Harbour City last month, and its liveliness and influence also surpassed the latter.

The reason is simple, it's all about giving face to the foreigners. Everyone is willing to give it, whether it's ordinary Hong Kong citizens or major newspapers and TV stations in Asia.

That’s right, the opening of a small community in a colonial city actually attracted many media outlets including Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to send reporters or broadcast related news on their own platforms.

For foreigners in Hong Kong, Lan Kwai Fong is a paradise for them to have fun after work.

For Asian media, what foreigners pay attention to, care about and like are hot topics and need to be taken seriously.

Although Asia has a developed country, Neon, it has essentially not yet emerged from the shadow of its past colonialism. Even when the mainland rose, the right to speak and the right to set prices were still in the hands of white people, and many Asian countries still took pride in being recognized by Europe and the United States.

When mainstream European and American media such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC, AFP, and Deutsche Welle mentioned the news of the opening of Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong, was it possible for Asian media people not to be excited?

Therefore, relying on the unique advantage of foreigners and white-collar workers, Lan Kwai Fong became well-known all over the world as soon as it opened, but at least it had a considerable influence in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

At least if the Southeast Asian monkeys and Japanese dwarves go to Hong Kong on business, and want to meet rich foreigners or sexy foreign girls, the first place that may pop into their minds is Lan Kwai Fong.

Of course, this seemingly zero-cost advertising campaign also required Fang Hexuan to use up a large amount of his money and connections.

First of all, starting from 8 a.m. that day, celebrities from all walks of life in Hong Kong came in to congratulate or show their support.

For example, major industry associations, local chambers of commerce, cultural celebrities, religious groups, social groups, hundreds of big stars, Hong Kong government officials, consular and diplomatic personnel from various countries in Hong Kong, representatives of a certain society in Hong Kong, personnel from representative offices of various provinces in the Mainland in Hong Kong, and thousands of other important guests.

In order to increase his influence, Fang Hexuan also used his connections in Hollywood to invite superstars such as Marlon Brando, Shirley Temple, Elizabeth Taylor and others to perform in Hong Kong.

In addition, famous music groups such as Queen, U2, and the Rolling Stones also attended the opening ceremony under the temptation of huge sums of money from Mr. Fang.

When these local and international celebrities appeared, ordinary audiences and tourists who had made reservations in advance to enter Lan Kwai Fong really felt that their trip was worthwhile. At least, it was worthwhile to be able to see the living celebrities with their own eyes.

Moreover, the opening ceremony of Lan Kwai Fong was indeed very luxurious and international.

For example, heavyweight political figures such as Governor Edward Youde and the American Consul in Hong Kong came on stage to give congratulatory speeches; for example, the Vienna Court Orchestra played soothing and beautiful background music; for example, many stars and cultural celebrities left their handprints on the Avenue of Stars in Lan Kwai Fong; for example, the above-mentioned bands and Hong Kong singers would take the stage to perform every half hour.

This is not the end yet. When the celebrity appearances were over, a carnival parade appeared on D'Aguilar Street in Lan Kwai Fong. The "actors" in the parade came from all over the world, mainly from Europe, North America and South America. Some were dressed in weird and interesting clothes, some were dressed revealingly and sexy, some cosplayed movie characters, some performed acrobatics, and of course some danced while walking, which made the audience on the scene mesmerized.

After a morning of packed activities and shows, visitors to Lan Kwai Fong can stroll around and dine as they please.

After all, Alphabet Group has promised the whole of Hong Kong that within half a month of Lan Kwai Fong's opening, food, accommodation and entertainment items will be 5% off, and physical merchandise purchases will be 8% off.

These are not the scams of raising prices first and then offering discounts that e-commerce companies use in later generations, but real profit sharing. However, Hong Kong citizens really buy into this. Capitalism does not support idlers, and capitalism also does not have cheap goods and services.

Why do Hong Kong people in later generations like to go north to Shenzhen and Zhuhai for consumption? Isn’t it because the price gap between the two places is too big?

Therefore, if Hong Kong people can truly feel that they can get an advantage, they will never miss the opportunity.

And now, Mr. Fang, the richest man, is distributing gift packages to his family and holding a give-back event. Only a fool would not accept it.

Therefore, after the traffic control ended at 11 a.m., the number of people pouring into Lan Kwai Fong was actually greater than at eight or nine o'clock.

There are hundreds of shops in Lan Kwai Fong, including restaurants, entertainment, accommodation and creative products, as well as various brand stores.

Faced with the fact that things sold in brand stores are cheaper than those in major shopping malls outside, and there are huge discounts on food, drinks, and entertainment at half price, how can those with consumption needs not be tempted?
At night, Lan Kwai Fong is even more lively and noisy than during the day.

In addition to the same street parade performances as during the day, there are also colorful light shows in the community that are as bright as day.

In addition, the three major bands will hold a three-hour music evening from 7pm to 10pm for three consecutive nights.

In addition to these, Lan Kwai Fong also holds fireworks displays on both sides of the Victoria Harbour for three consecutive nights, and citizens of Hong Kong can find opportunities to enjoy them.

It can be said that Fong Hok Hin spared no expense in making Lan Kwai Fong famous in Hong Kong. He organized the celebrations completely in accordance with the various celebrations held when Hong Kong later returned to China. Not only did it allow Hong Kong citizens to feast their eyes, mouths and ears, it also allowed many of his peers to see the richest man's generosity and extraordinary creative ideas.

It can be said that during the half month since Lan Kwai Fong opened, Hong Kong people felt like they were spending a 15-day holiday.

Even if you don’t buy anything, you can still enter the Lan Kwai Fong community and watch various street performances for free. The most important thing is that the atmosphere here is very lively, just like any other festival.

As the event lasted long enough, Japan's NHK TV station even sent a filming crew to Lan Kwai Fong to film and gather materials, similar to recording a travel program.

Of course, some tour groups visiting Hong Kong also took the opportunity to enter the community and experience it, which can be regarded as a small contribution to Hong Kong's GDP.

In just half a month, Lan Kwai Fong received 376 million visitors, including local tourists, and its cumulative turnover reached HK$6.45 million.

Don’t think these two figures are exaggerated. The main reason is that the scale of the event organized by Fang Hexuan was too large, and the discounts and promotions were attractive enough to stimulate the consumption desire of Hong Kong citizens who were reluctant to consume.

Once these data were disclosed, they shocked the whole of Hong Kong!

Some people were also upset by these numbers. Because of Fang Hexuan's actions, they could have eaten meat but now they can only drink soup. It would be strange if they didn't have some thoughts!
(End of this chapter)