Some of Hong Kong’s suspended activities and events have resumed this week, following a period of mourning for the victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire, which occurred two weeks ago.
“A Symphony of Lights,” the nightly laser light show across Victoria Harbour, resumed on Wednesday evening after a two-week suspension, according to the Tourism Commission.
Hong Kong Disneyland restarted its nightly musical light-and-drone show, “Momentous: Party in the Night Sky,” on Monday after an 11-day pause. Fire effects will be brought back at a later stage, the company said.
The Christmas-themed “Winter Wonderland in Central,” at Statue Square Gardens, reopened on Wednesday.
“Merry Balloon Hong Kong,” featuring giant inflatables across Hong Kong, will reopen on Monday, earlier than planned. It had not been set to resume until January due to the Tai Po tragedy.
‘Not celebrating wildly’
The massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po broke out on November 26, killing at least 160 people. The government announced a three-day mourning period for the victims from November 29 to December 1, with the Chinese and Hong Kong flags flown at half-mast.
Speaking on Commercial Radio on Wednesday, Lam Ching-choi, Executive Council member and chair of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, supported the resumption of festive activities.
The city needs to resume normality at some point, and festivities need to keep going as long as people do so respectfully, he said.
It is normal for society to grieve over such an immense tragedy, but people can gradually recover from it, Lam added.
There is nothing wrong with celebrations and festivities during the Christmas season, as long as “we’re not celebrating wildly, and we’re not being completely over the top,” and not “making fun of other people’s tragedy,” he said.
He also said that resuming the activities may be better for survivors of the Wang Fuk Court fire, as they might feel guilty if normal life takes too long to resume.
