Hong Kong’s own Hollywood-style walk of fame officially re-opened to the public yesterday after being shut for renovations that went on for three years.
The promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui — which honors key figures in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry — was closed for renovations in October 2015 and scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of last year. However, the work was dogged by complications that ultimately forced the reopening date to be pushed back to February.
Then in early-January, local media reported that the promenade would re-open to the public on January 31, just in time for the Lunar New Year fireworks display on Victoria Harbour on Feb. 6.
The Avenue of Stars first opened to the public in 2004, and features 107 plaques with the handprints and autographs of Hong Kong film celebrities like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, and others.
Previously the plaques were on the ground, like the ones on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. In the promenade’s redesign, however, the plaques were mounted onto railings overlooking Victoria Harbour, all the better for getting a perfect photo with not only your favorite star, but also Hong Kong’s iconic skyline in the background.
Likewise, the Avenue of Stars’ statues are no longer behind barriers, another update intended to help out snap-happy tourists.
Five more famous actresses Sandra Ng Kwan-yue, Teresa Mo Shun-kwan, Helena Law Lan, Carol “Dodo” Cheng Yu-ling, also added their handprints and signatures to the promenade ahead of the reopening.
Ng, a veteran actress who has starred in a number of Hong Kong comedies, also provides the voice of Mrs McDull, the mother of Hong Kong’s favorite cartoon pig, McDull, who also has a selfie-friendly statue near the end of the promenade.
The walk also features bronze statues of Bruce Lee; the late Cantopop diva Anita Mui, known as the “Madonna of the East”; and the so-called “Goddess of the Hong Kong Film Awards Association,” the statuette given out to award-winners at the annual Hong Kong Film Awards.
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