Lan Kwai Fong, Entertainment district in Central, Hong Kong.
Lan Kwai Fong is a city block in Central, Hong Kong, where bars, lounges and eateries line a few narrow streets. The alleys form an L shape and climb gently uphill while venue entrances crowd close to the pavement.
Before World War II families and marriage brokers lived here in old buildings with wooden stairs. The shift began in 1983 when an entrepreneur from Canada opened the first Western restaurant and others followed.
The name translates to Orchid Leaf Ravine and dates back to the Qing Dynasty when merchants lived here. Today neon signs in red and blue glow on building fronts while groups of colleagues gather on sidewalks after work to talk and unwind.
The metro station Central is a few minutes on foot and the alleys fill up after office hours in the evening. Weekends get tighter because visitors move between venues and stop on the sidewalks.
Every year at Halloween the streets turn into a large celebration with costumes and crowds so police set up barriers. Since an incident on New Year's Eve 1993 officers watch the flow of people closely.
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