“We don’t want money, we want to open the restaurants at night-time… If not, everyone will leave Hong Kong,” says restaurant tout Jacky.
https://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/Utility/GetImage.ashx?ImageID=53c4ff35-0a73-40a3-88c5-c215b866041f&refreshStamp=0
The touts still loiter outside one of Hong Kong’s most iconic landmarks, but Covid — and the Hong Kong government’s tough preventative measures — has left its mark on Chungking Mansions along with the rest of the once-bustling city.
The complex on Nathan Road in Tsimshatsui, 17 storeys and five blocks which opened in 1961, was for decades a haven for Asia’s backpacker tourists, wholesalers and other small businesses and people seeking a cheap yet exotic Indian dining experience.
Now the tourists have largely vanished and restaurants must shut at 6 pm, with a maximum two per table. The touts who once flocked round the entrance flashing business cards, offering to change your money or find you a guesthouse or the perfect curry, are finding it hard to make a living.
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/04/05/how-covid-left-its-mark-on-hong-kongs-chungking-mansions/