Letter to the Editor
Dear Sir/Madam,
Recently, the issue of regulations on street performances has been a hot topic among people in Hong Kong. Some people feel a desire that the regulations be enforced for pedestrian zones. Yet, onerous regulations are said to restrict the development of street culture. Let’s take a closer look at the controversy.
First of all, I will detail the demand of supporters. From some businessmen’s view, the regulations released can have a good influence on sales. The district in Sai Yeung Choi Street South is known for street performers singing with microphones and loudspeakers on weekends and public holidays. LANEIGE, a cosmetics shop on the street, set up a noise barrier to block loud singing in order not to scare the customers away. Even though the customers want to learn about the products, the surrounding environment is too loud to communicate. Undoubtedly, it must give an awful impression to clients. None of the businessmen would like to run a shop in these loud surroundings, would they? If the regulations are carried out, more clients would be willing to stay in the shops, which would be good sales.
There are lots of tenements around the Sai Yeung Choi Street South. The noise upsets an array of residents near the street who always find it difficult to sleep owing to uproarious performances. Vincent Ho, the president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, found that the noise level measured 94.5db. It has already gone 3 times beyond the maximum allowed limit. The residents’ expectation is that the regulations should be implemented to cope with or relieve the issue.
On the opposite side, some buskers hold the belief that too many regulations will obstruct the development of street culture, which makes it difficult to add spice to local music culture. If the regulations are implemented, loads of buskers will be cramped into some designated areas, and forced to perform on top of each other. Moreover, a variety of excellent buskers would be unable to launch performances due to the limited space. Stephen Chu, the professor of the University of Hong Kong did extensive research into local music in a voiced interview and found that busking is a huge asset in igniting local music culture. If overseas visitors can be exposed to Cantopop on the street, no doubt, it will enhance the fame of local music. That means more tourists from outside the region, especially those from the West can learn about Cantopop.
In conclusion, through my careful consideration, I am going to accept the idea of implementing the regulations. From my point of view, maintaining order is no easy job but without regulations, the buskers can perform anywhere, causing confusion. If the regulations can be implemented, the buskers would be allowed to perform in designated zones. It is easy to manage. Moreover, a designated zone is good for street culture because the tourists can appreciate the music or other traditional performances in a fixed place. It is convenient to find and learn about. Therefore, I support the regulation implementation.
Let us contribute to our harmonious society!
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong