Design

<img width="260" height="170" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-100x65.jpeg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-759x500.jpeg 759w" data-src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg" data-sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="260" height="170" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-100x65.jpeg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-759x500.jpeg 759w" data-src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg" data-sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="260" height="170" src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-260x170.jpeg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-100x65.jpeg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ghost_sign_cigarette_2_2023_zolima_citymag_SD-759x500.jpeg 759w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" />

Hong Kong’s Ghost Signs: The Toxic Legacy of Cigarette Ads

Billy PottsMay 24, 2023

In this unsentimental city, ghost signs give the briefest of glimpses into the past, flattering it with the soft focus of nostalgia. It is easy to question how anybody could treat these treasures with so little care if one forgets that the past was never ideal. Ghost signs can reveal far more complex truths. Fading […]...

DesignHistoryInterviewsPeopleSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 011 min read

<img width="260" height="170" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-260x170.jpg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-100x65.jpg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-759x500.jpg 759w" data-src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-260x170.jpg" data-sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="260" height="170" src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-260x170.jpg" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-260x170.jpg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-100x65.jpg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mandarin_pamphlet_3_c1963_jonathan_wattis_zolima_citymag-759x500.jpg 759w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" />

Inside the Wattis Collection: Vintage Hong Kong Travel Guides

Annemarie EvansMay 15, 2023

Travel guides and advertisements on display at Wattis Fine Art are a window into Hong Kong’s postwar blossoming]...

BooksCultureDesignExhibitionHistoryProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 07 min read

<img width="260" height="170" src="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hollywood-Barber_ghost_sign_3_3_Billy-Potts_zolima_citymag.small_-260x170.jpg" class="attachment-cb-260-170 size-cb-260-170 wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hollywood-Barber_ghost_sign_3_3_Billy-Potts_zolima_citymag.small_-260x170.jpg 260w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hollywood-Barber_ghost_sign_3_3_Billy-Potts_zolima_citymag.small_-100x65.jpg 100w, https://zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Hollywood-Barber_ghost_sign_3_3_Billy-Potts_zolima_citymag.small_-759x500.jpg 759w" sizes="(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" />

Hong Kong’s Ghost Signs: A Long-Gone Barbershop

Billy PottsMarch 22, 2023

The Hollywood Barber Company once operated in the heart of Causeway Bay. Now the classic calligraphy of its ghost sign is all that remains...

CultureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments 06 min read

Africa

Hong Kong Patterns, Part III: Africa, Europe and the Cosmopolitan City

Billy PottsMarch 2, 2023

An exhibition at CHAT explores Hong Kong’s links to Africa, reflecting the city’s emergence as a global hub...

DesignExhibitionFashionHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 05 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Painting Movie Posters by Hand

Billy PottsFebruary 24, 2023

Why Did Hong Kong Turn Its Back On Its Streets?

Christopher DewolfFebruary 8, 2023

Walter Koditek: Exploring Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage

Christopher DewolfFebruary 1, 2023

A German urban planner shines a light on the vulnerable heritage of Hong Kong's modern architecture...

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryPhotographyUrbanism0 Comments 08 min read

Hong Kong Patterns, Part II: Silk City

Billy PottsJanuary 31, 2023

The arrival of Japanese department stores led to a boom in silk manufacturing – and some strange cultural blends...

DesignFashionHistoryProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 07 min read

Hong Kong’s Vintage Treasures Are Overseas

Christopher DewolfDecember 23, 2022

The fruits of Hong Kong’s industrial history can be found in second-hand shops around the world...

DesignHeritageHistoryProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 09 min read

Hong Kong Patterns, Part I: Daimaru’s Distinct Style

Billy PottsDecember 22, 2022

When the Japanese department store opened a flagship branch in Hong Kong, its gift wrap became a local icon...

DesignExhibitionProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 04 min read

Meet Two Collectors Whose Works Are On Show at HKMoA

Oliver GilesDecember 9, 2022

Dutch Design: Can Hong Kong Learn From the Netherlands?

Christopher DewolfNovember 23, 2022

Hong Kong Wheels: Classic Comfort in Los Angeles

Christopher DewolfNovember 21, 2022

The only Toyota Comfort in the US is cruising the suburbs of Los Angeles as a mock Hong Kong taxi...

CultureDesignProduct Design0 Comments 05 min read

Hong Kong Wheels: What is a Hong Kong Taxi Doing in Toronto?

Christopher DewolfNovember 9, 2022

Al Wu’s mock Hong Kong taxi is a taste of home for Canada’s large Hong Kong diaspora...

CultureDesignProduct Design0 Comments 06 min read

Where Did Jumbo Go? Hong Kong’s Heritage Conservation Challenge

Christopher DewolfOctober 13, 2022

There's something wrong with heritage conservation in Hong Kong. How can it be fixed?...

DesignHeritageHistory0 Comments 016 min read

What Placemaking Can Do For Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfSeptember 28, 2022

Architects and planners are using collaborative design to create urban spaces that people actually want to use...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments 011 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: Bridges

Christopher DewolfSeptember 22, 2022

For Chi Wing Lo, Design is Craft

Catherine ShawAugust 31, 2022

The Emotions of a Good Museum

Christopher DewolfJuly 27, 2022

As Hong Kong coasts on a wave of new and renewed museums, good design can take the visitor experience to another level...

ArchitectureArtDesignHistoryInterior Design0 Comments 013 min read

What Happens When Art and Design Collide?

Catherine ShawJune 30, 2022

Hong Kong-based designer Elaine Yan Ling Ng collaborates on a boundary-pushing work of art and design in Milan...

ArtDesignProduct DesignVideo art0 Comments 011 min read

Caroline Chiu’s Porcelain Cups Are An Homage to Hong Kong

Oliver GilesJune 29, 2022

Hong Kong’s spirit is channelled into a series of hand-painted cups made in China’s ancient capital of ceramics...

ArtDesignExhibitionPeoplePortraitsProduct DesignVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 16 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: The Shun Tak Centre, Gateway to Macau

Christopher DewolfJune 17, 2022

Though it is quiet today, the Shun Tak Centre is a testament to Hong Kong's history of mobility...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments 07 min read

Jeweller, Inventor – And Now Artist: Wallace Chan in Venice

Oliver GilesJune 9, 2022

More Than Just Sports: Hong Kong’s New Generation of Athletic Facilities

Christopher DewolfJune 8, 2022

Hong Kong’s Industrial Objects: Red Market Lamps

Christopher DewolfJune 2, 2022

Red plastic lampshades are ubiquitous on Hong Kong's streets – and they've become a symbol of the city itself...

DesignProduct Design0 Comments 05 min read

Chair Island: The Story Behind Peng Chau’s DIY Street Furniture

Daisann McLaneJune 2, 2022

Why are there so many chairs scattered around this quirky Hong Kong Island?...

A Little BreakDesignProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 26 min read

Hong Kong is Haunted by Ghost Signs

Billy PottsMay 20, 2022

There’s a lot to learn from the old hand-painted signs that linger throughout the city...

CultureDesignLanguageProduct DesignTradition0 Comments 19 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: Rooftop Billboards

Christopher DewolfApril 28, 2022

Neon signs once dominated Hong Kong's skyline, but they are quickly being replaced by LED video screens...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUrbanism0 Comments 07 min read

Why Costume Design is a Snapshot of Hong Kong Life

Elizabeth KerrApril 27, 2022

Scottish Hong Kong: Symbols All Around

Billy PottsApril 14, 2022

Hidden Gem: 10 Years of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts

Ilaria Maria SalaApril 13, 2022

How Van Cleef & Arpels embraced the universal appeal of jewellery from Paris to Hong Kong...

DesignEventExhibitionProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 08 min read

The Arts and Heritage: A Perfect Combination?

Christopher DewolfApril 8, 2022

With the right design approach, heritage buildings can be used to support arts and culture...

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 011 min read

The Story Behind Ascot Chang, Hong Kong’s Superstar Tailor

Billy PottsMarch 31, 2022

The Shanghainese roots of Hong Kong tailoring are embodied by the Chang family, whose business has earned worldwide acclaim...

DesignFashionPeoplePortraits0 Comments 010 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial Products: Watermelon Balls

Christopher DewolfMarch 30, 2022

A 1950s plastic ball inspired by two famous rivers still holds significance for Hongkongers...

CultureDesignFoodProduct Design0 Comments 05 min read

Scottish Hong Kong: A Visit to Yuen’s, the Expert Kiltmakers

Billy PottsMarch 16, 2022

Hong Kong’s Skyline Icons: The Faded Glory of Tsim Sha Tsui East

Christopher DewolfMarch 15, 2022

Fairview Park: Living the Dream in Hong Kong Suburbia

Christopher DewolfMarch 13, 2022

Architect/developer Clifford Wong was smitten by North America suburbia. So he tried to recreate it here in Hong Kong...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments 012 min read

The Forgotten Masterpieces of Lacloche

Edith TerryMarch 11, 2022

How the exquisite works of a Parisian jewellery house were celebrated, forgotten, and finally recovered for a fascinating exhibition...

DesignEventExhibitionFashionProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 012 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: The Luthier of Sui Fai Factory Estate

Billy PottsMarch 2, 2022

As a factory block in Fotan is slated to be redeveloped into public housing, a master Chinese luthier considers his fate...

CultureDesignPeoplePortraitsProduct DesignTradition0 Comments 17 min read

Scottish Hong Kong: A Red-White-Blue Tartan Especially for Hong Kong

Billy PottsFebruary 22, 2022

Tartan has a long history and each example of the chequered patterns is loaded with meaning, including a new tartan designed just for Hong Kong...

CultureDesignFashionHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments 011 min read