During the heat of World Cup qualifiers and Hong Kong’s heroic defence against Qatar on Tuesday, a group of Western District residents sought to make the most out of their community’s public space and share the vibe with everyone, whether they liked it or not.
Ken Lai Sze-kui and Kelvin Lui Yat-lam, who have been featured on Coconuts before due their vision for a closer community in Hong Kong’s Western District, organised a public viewing of the match with the simplest tools – a laptop with a projector, public wifi, and a crowd.
Originally a community event advertised on the local Facebook group “Tide Turns at Sai Wan“, the gathering soon attracted attention from those living and passing through Sands Street.
In the end, more than 100 residents attended and enjoyed the match together. Awww, indeed!
Ken was more than happy with the event’s outcome, even though Hong Kong was one goal short of matching the opponent.
“I could never imagine a small viewing event could attract our neighbours, and even the media. The sheer passion from the community, especially when Hong Kong scored two goals – that cheer could have easily matched the Mong Kong stadium.
“Though we could not provide the best audio, the concentration at the screen was more than moving. Thank you all for showing up, and let’s give the Hong Kong squad another round of applause!”
Nice effort, fellas. See you at the next match.
Picture credits: Ken Lai Sze Kui
