Liberal Studies Independent Enquiry Study Report

Transcription

1 Liberal Studies Independent Enquiry Study Report Project Title: Explore Whether the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a Suitable Place for Street Performances. Class: Class Number: Page 1 of 68

2 Content Page 1. Introduction P.3 2. Methodology P.6 3. Literature Review P.8 4. Findings and Analysis P Discussion P Conclusion P Recommendation P Reflection P References P Appendices 10.1 Questionnaires distributed to the audience 10.2 Interview transcripts of street performers 10.3 Interview transcripts of shop owners 10.4 Interview transcript of residents 10.5 Observation report P.47 Page 2 of 68

3 1. Introduction According to the Transport Department, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation was open in August 2000 in order to improve the safety and mobility of pedestrian in this busy shopping area 1. he following areas are included in the Mongkok pedestrainisation: Nelson Street (between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Fa Yuen Street), Sai Yeung Choi Street South (between Argyle Street and Dundas Street), Soy Street (between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Fa Yuen Street) and Tung Choi Street (between Argyle Street and Dundas Street). After the opening of the pedestrainisation, some people take the spaces to perform on the streets. It gradually becomes a place for street performers to perform. The implementation hours of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation have been reduced for several times since 2010 due to the noise and light nuisance to the nearby residents. Before 20 January 2014, the implementation hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on General Holidays. However, In the Traffic and Transport Committee meeting of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council on 21 November 2013, the committee members passed a motion reduce the implementation days of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation in order to minimize the nuisance to the residents. This shows the street performances are disturbing the residents daily lives. Therefore, from 20 January 2014 onward, the implementation hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on General Holidays. The concerned road sections are opened for vehicular traffic from Monday to Friday. 2 According to a professional street performer, Mr Andrew So Chun chau ( 蘇春就 ), The street performances provide entertainment and bring happiness to the audience in [1] Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation. Retrieved from: [2] Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation, Mongkok. Retrieved from : dex.html Page 3 of 68

4 different income groups 3. According to the spokesperson of the Home Affairs Bureau, some of the street performances have local cultural values and they are worthwhile to promote to the public 4. The Mongkok Pedestriansation provides a area for carrying out street performances. Thus, there are quite a number of street performers and audience engages in street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. However, such activities also bring negative impacts to other stakeholders. The residents and the shops nearby have complained about the impacts of the street performances on them. For example, according to the data from the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, they cause loud noise which disturbs the daily lives of the residents and the business of the shops nearby. The street performers and the audience also block the ways and threat the safety of the area, for example, the ambulance may not be able to pass by in urgent situation 5. Therefore, whether the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances is a controversial issue. The values of the street performances in that area and the interests of the residents and shops nearby should be considered when evaluating this issue. This project aims to explore whether the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is suitable for street performances in various aspects. It will look into the needs and concern of the street performers, audience, the nearby residents and shops views towards this issue. [3] Legislative Council (2008). 蘇春就對 設於私人發展項目內的公共設施 的書面意見 Retrieved from : 08/chinese/panels/plw/papers/dev0531cb c.pdf [4] Press Releases (2010). LCQ2: Street performances. Retrieved from : [5] District Councils (2013) 至 2015 年度油尖旺區議會交通運輸委員會第九次會議記錄. Retrieved from : _ _C.pdf Page 4 of 68

5 The following are the objectives of this research. First, I will find out the current situation of street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, i.e. the nature of different street performances, the background of and the street performers. Second, I will also find out the policies, rules and legislations related to street performing in Hong Kong. I will find out whether street performing is legal in Hong Kong and what the loopholes are in the law. Third, I will find out the different stakeholders (the audience, residents and shops nearby) views towards the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. For example, how the residents and shops nearby complain about the street performances and what the audience s opinions towards the street performances are. Fourth, I will also find out the purposes of the street performers to perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation and their opinions towards the suitability to perform in this area. Fifth, I will gather different stakeholders opinions on whether the current policies and rules can meet the demands of them and find out how the policies can be improved. After analyzing the data, I will evaluate whether the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances by considering different stakeholders interests and concerns and find out what the ideal policies on the pedestrianisation are. Page 5 of 68

6 2. Methodology A) Questionnaire The target interviewees are the street performance audience. The questionnaire was distributed to anyone who has watched of street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Some of the questionnaires were distributed at school and some were distributed to the audience in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. There were 62 respondents. The questionnaire asks about respondents reasons for watching street performances, frequencies or habits in watching the performances, comments on the street performances, opinions towards the suitability of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation to carry out street performances and opinions towards the policies or rules in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. B) Interview First, the data collection process includes interviews with four street performers. They are Mr. Tom Tong ( 西洋菜街 Tom) a singer, Ms Lau a dancer, Mr. Tang Ying Kit (Joe Ten) a painter and Mr. Lyson Sze ( 施寶盛 ) a freestyle football player respectively. Street performers engage in different kinds of performances were asked so as to understand different kinds of performers situations and needs. These performers are more popular among the performers (there are more audience observing their performances) so they are more representative. They were asked about the habits of performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, the purposes of performing and their opinions towards the policies or rules in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Second, the data collection process includes interviews with two shop owners or staff in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. They were asked about the impacts caused by the street performances to their business and the opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation Third, the data collection process includes interviews with four residents living nearby the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. They were asked about the impacts caused by the street performances to their daily lives and the opinions towards the policies or rules in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Page 6 of 68

7 C) Site Visits To study the current situation and the impacts of the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, I visited the Mongkok Pedestrianisation for seven times on 25 January, 8 February, 23 February, 22 March, 12 April, 19 April and 10 May These days are chosen because the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is opened these days. I usually arrive there at 7:00 p.m. and leave at 10:00 p.m. This is because I think there is larger pedestrian flow and more performances after dinner time so that I can understand the situation in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation more thoroughly. Moreover, I stay there until 10 p.m. to find out the difference I observed the number and varieties of street performances; the number, age and behaviours of the audience. I also observed when the street performers start and end their performances, and evaluated the noise level, hygienic condition and congestion level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation.. Limitation It is difficult to arrange for interviewing more residents in that area because the residents were not willing to be interviewed. Four residents are quite representative to reflect the opinions of the residents living in the Mongkok Pedestriansation because they are actually living in the same area. Many of the shops in Mongkok Pedestrianisation are chain stores and their front line sales person may not know about the effect on sales with the present of street performance. They can only comment on change in number of customers or visitors by feeling but without solid back up data. Their store managers also refused to disclose if the sales is affected. Only two small stores whose owners and staff were more open to the interview. Page 7 of 68

8 3. Literature Review According to the Transport Department, the Mongkok pedestrainisation was open in August It is a Part time Pedestrian Street. In part time pedestrian streets, vehicular access is only allowed in specific periods. The following areas are included in the Mongkok pedestrainisation: Nelson Street (between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Fa Yuen Street), Sai Yeung Choi Street South (between Argyle Street and Dundas Street), Soy Street (between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Fa Yuen Street) and Tung Choi Street (between Argyle Street and Dundas Street) 1. After the opening of the Mongkok Pedestrainisation, some people take the spaces to perform on the streets. It gradually becomes a place for street performers to perform. There is no formal record indicates when the street performers start performing in Mongkok pedestrainisation. However, it is found that the Legislative Council first discussed whether street performance or entertainment activities are in breach of the laws of Hong Kong in Thus, it can be deduced that street performance in Mongkok has existed before Since then, the Legislative Council discussed the safety about the street performances and gave guideline to street performers. Such discussions in the Legco shows the number of performers has been increasing and the order in the pedestrainisation is moderately affected. There were several meetings in the Legislative Council discussing the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation since The minutes of those meetings show that the government has no long term and specific policies and regulations to govern street performance. The government allows street performances as long as they do not infringe any law. However, there is no clear definition on street performances and street performers thus many commercial and promotional activities also get into this area by declaring such is a street performance. This piece of information shows the constraint of local authorities that lead them cannot keep the Mongkok Pedestrianisation area in better order 3. The [1] Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation. Retrieved from : [2] Press Releases (2006). LCQ6: Street performance. Retrieved from : [3] Press Releases (2006). LCQ6: Street performance. Retrieved from : Page 8 of 68

9 minutes of Legislative Council help trace the development and trend of street performing in Mongkok pedestrianisation area and the short coming of current regulations. All these are important in the overall considerations whether Mongkok Pedestrianisation areas are suitable for street performing. Second, So Chun Chau, the street performer known as Mr Funny, was being sued for obstructing public places when performing on Great George Street, Causeway Bay. The judge found him not guilty at last because Hong Kong residents shall have freedom to engage in academic research, literary and artistic creation, and other cultural activities, according to Article 34 of the Basic Law 4. This reflects Hong Kong has not got a clear policy and licences system to govern the activities of street performer. The court case of So Chun Chau cleared up a grey area in the law. With this court case, fellow street performers are now confident of their rights but it also brings with more peddlers and promoters to conduct commercial activities in the name of performances. With the inadequate regulation, police is getting more difficult to control the street performers, street promoters and even peddlers in that area. This is one of the reasons for increase of traffic and noise which induces more conflict between street performers and local residents. Third, from some minutes of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, local residents, shops and pass bys complained that the street performers are the major causes of noise pollution. The performances also cause extra disorder and congestion to Mongkok Pedestrianisation which is originally a very heavy foot traffic street 5. This shows that there are some stakeholders do not think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is suitable place for street performances as they are negatively affected by the street performances. The complaints from local resident as recorded in minutes of district council can be considered as the negative view on Mongkok Pedestrianisation is suitable for street performer. [4] AM730 新聞 (2010). 銅鑼灣表演雜技被控阻街蘇春就罪名不成立. Retrieved from [5] District Councils (2013) 至 2015 年度油尖旺區議會交通運輸委員會第九次會議記錄. Retrieved from _ _C.pdf Page 9 of 68

10 4. Findings and Analysis 4.1 Current situation of street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Types of street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation From field visit to Mongkok Pedestrianisation on 23/2/2014, it was found that type and number of street performance is as below tabulated. Table 1 Nature of performance Number of Percentage performance performance 1. Singing % 2. Instrument % 3. Painting % 4. Handicraft % 5. Circus skills % 6. Dancing % 7. Freestyle Football % TOTAL % of There are 7 categorizes of street performance, Among them, there were 8 singing performances in form of live band or solo, 2 instrumental performances, playing Er Hu and Beat Box, 2 handicraft, 1 dancing performance, 1 Chinese style circus skills, 1 painter doing carton and portrait sketches and 1 freestyle football performance. Further visits on 22/3/2014 and 12/4/2014 also showed the above 7 categorizes of street performances but with minor change in corresponding number of performers. Musical performances are always the majority type and occupy most of the area of the Pedestrianisation. Page 10 of 68

11 4.1.2 Current legislations or rules regarding the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation There is no specific law to pin point street performances. However, the street performers cannot bring nuisance, annoyance or obstruction in any public place to people or traffic. They are also prohibited to bring noise nuisance. Their performances should not be in an indecent, obscene, revolting or offensive nature. 1 If the street performers violate the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228), the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap. 400) and the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (Cap. 390), the police may give advice or verbal warning to the persons concerned, and may request the persons concerned to stop the performance or institute prosecution in accordance with the relevant Ordinance. 2 In additional to that, the performers can only perform during the period as stipulated by The Transportation Department. According to the regulation, the opening hours are from 4:00p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays. 3 Compendium Most of the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation are musical performances. Therefore, noise nuisance is always a concern for residents and shop operator in that area. [1] Press Releases (2006). LCQ6: Street performance. Retrieved from [2] Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation, Mongkok. Retrieved from dex.html [3] Department of Justice, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Cap 400 Noise Control Ordinance. Retrieved from D EF0002A7A7?OpenDocument&bt=0 Page 11 of 68

12 4.2 Analysis on the Street Performers Background of the street performers Among the interviewees who are street performers in singing, freestyle football, dancing and painting, the freestyle football player and the painter have a full time job and do street performing as a part time job, while the dancer is a retired person who performs for fun. Only the band singer who takes street performance as a full time job. From the interviews, Ms Lau,the dancer, has performed in the area for four years. Mr. Tom Tong, the singer, and Mr. Lyson Sze, the freestyle football player, have performed in the area for three years, while Mr. Tang Ying Kit, the painter, has performed for half year. They all will show up in Mongkok Pedestrianisation every Saturday and Sunday. For those musical performances, most of them are live band singing s Cantonese pop song and s English oldies. Their audiences are middle age or old people. For the painters who do cartoon and portrait sketches and artist selling handicraft, the onlookers are mostly young people. For the dancing performances, a group of amateur dancers perform just for fun and crowed by curious pedestrian. For the circus skills performances, the performer playing Chinese style acrobatics who can draw attention from all age group but only for a short while. A singing performance Page 12 of 68

13 A circus skills performance A dancing performance Purpose of the street performer to perform From the interviews with the street performers Mr. Tom Tong (singer), Ms Lau (dancer), Mr. Tang Ying Kit (painter) and Mr. Lyson Sze (freestyle football player), they all stated that the primary purpose of doing street performance is for their own interest or to fulfill their desire of performance. They feel well when the performance is appreciated by their fans or audiences. As the band singer, Tom, said that My interest is to sing. People like what I sing and I am happy to perform here. Most of the performers put this as the first purpose of doing street performance. The performers perform for their own interest. Page 13 of 68

14 Another purpose of doing street performance is to make direct or indirect financial benefit. The direct financial benefit is the donation or tip from the audiences and onlookers, the donation or tip is a source of income to support their living. Mr. Sze said, One of the main purposes for me to perform is to earn money to support my living. I need the money to pay rents and telephone bills. Street performers in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation can expose themselves to the public and help them to get more job opportunities. Tom and Mr. Sze are invited to perform in some functions or events. Tom said, I was invited by restaurants to perform during their dinner services. Mr. Sze said, There are schools inviting me to teach the students football. Some shopping mall operators also invite me to play freestyle football for marketing purpose. I can earn money from these shows. Some live bands also organize mini concert for their fans on regular basis. All these are indirect benefit from street performance. From the observation, the street performances are in commercial nature to a large extent. All of the street performers put a box in front of them to receive tips or donations from the audience. The performers with around 200 audiences can receive $50 60 per minute. These shows the performers can meet their second purpose. The street performer puts a box in front of him to generate donations from the audience. Page 14 of 68

15 4.2.2 Reasons for performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation instead of other areas. The following table shows the interviewees reasons of performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation instead of other areas. Tom Jo Ten Mr.Sze Ms Lau It is free of charge, no rental is required v v v v It is located in the central part of v v v v Kowloon, which is easily accessible by public vehicles Plenty of passers by/pedestrians v v v There are sufficient spaces v v v The unique atmosphere and culture of v v the Mongkok Pedestrianisation It is more well known by public than v v other places Need not to apply for license or permit v First, all of the interviewees stated that they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation because no rental is required. The street performing is without any entry ticket and donation from audience or onlooker is their important income source. They cannot afford to pay for performance venue. Second, all the interviewees perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation because it is located in the central of Kowloon, which is easily accessible by public vehicles such as the MTR, buses and minibuses. The general public and fans can get to Mongkok for leisure easily. Third, three of the interviewees said that Mongkok with highly congested residential and retailing areas. There are residents and shoppers in the Pedestrianisation area, they turn out as onlookers or audiences of street performances. (From questionnaire to audience, it is found that more than 50% of audience is passers by). The band singer, Mr. Tom Tong, said, There are many people pass by this area. Therefore, there is more audience watching my performance and I can provide entertainment and share joy with more people. Mr Sze also said, There are more pedestrians in Mongkok so I can share the football culture to more people. Page 15 of 68

16 Fourth, three of the interviewees said that there are adequate spaces in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Mr. Sze said, There are plenty of spaces here. There is no restriction for me to perform, so as space for onlookers. Fifth, two of the interviewees stated that the reason of performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is because of the atmosphere and culture there. Mongkok is more for common people and grass root level. From Mr. Tong, There are many people performing singing here. Mongkok has unique culture and characteristic, the performances suit the Mongkok people. So I would also like to perform here. The artist selling handcraft also stated that their products are low priced products that fit the consumer power of the area. Sixth, two of the interviewees believed that the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is more well known in street performing when comparing with other places which allow street performances. Seventh, one needs not to apply for license when performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. For performing in Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza 4 and the Amphitheatre in Tsuen Wan Park 5, performers have to apply for permit from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. They also doubt if they can meet all their criteria and able to get the licenses. [4] Press Releases (2012). Applications invited for HK Cultural Centre Arts and Crafts Fair stalls. Retrieved from [5] Leisure and Cultural Services Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2014). Facilities, Tsuen Wan Park. Retrieved from Page 16 of 68

17 4.2.3 Street performers opinions towards the policies and rules of performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation The street performers do not think the current opening days of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is long enough. Three out of the four interviewees think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation should be opened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One of them even thinks that the Mongkok Pedestrianisation should be opened for street performances every day. Three of them think that the current opening time is appropriate and one of them proposes the closing time be 11:00 p.m. The performers think the government should not intervene into the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Mr Sze said, The government does not have knowledge about this area. They will only create chaos. Mr. Tong said, Everyone can have a chance to perform here. Street perfumers can make comprise and regulated themselves. They also think the government should not tighten the control on noise level. The street performers think they are self disciplined. They are willing to lower their volume if there is complaint. From the observation and previous record, there is not many conflicts found that what the performers expressed is true. They are self disciplined and they do not argue with the other performers to occupy more space for performing. Compendium The street performers are aimed in entertaining others and in return, satisfy their desire of performance. They can also get reasonable income from performing there. On the other hand, Mongkok is easily accessible, highly populated, and well know in street performance make them feel it is better location than others. They do not want the government to implement extra rule or regulation to govern them and believe they are self disciplined and able to regulated themselves and keep the Pedestrianisation area in good order. However, the other stakeholders may not agree with this. This will be further discussed in the later parts. Page 17 of 68

18 4.3 Analysis on the Audience The questionnaires are distributed randomly to the street performance audience in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Audience s age group Age Groups of the audience 61 or above 21% below 20 21% % % For the survey, it seems that the age groups of audience are equally distributed. Each age group is around 20% (21 24%) and at 34%. This implies the street performance there can fit different ago groups interests. From observation, it is easy to find that age groups and 61 or above are more interested in the live band shows whereas the other two age groups is more on the other type of street performance. Page 18 of 68

19 4.3.2 Frequency and Habits of watching the street performances Frequency of watching street performances More than five times a month 8% Every time 1% Just for the first time 18% Three times to four times a month 26% Once to twice a month 47% Time spent on watching the performances every time more than 1 hour 11% 5 10 minutes 15% minutes 32% minutes 18% minutes 24% There are a total of 35% of the responded audiences watch the street performances three times or above every month. Watching street performances is their habit. 45% of the audiences spend more than 31 minutes to watch the street performances each time, showing they enjoy watching the performances. Page 19 of 68

20 4.3.3 Reasons of watching the street performances Reasons of watching the street performances to support the performers 16% to learn about local culture 4% for leisure 27% just pass by 53% This data shows that 53% audience and onlookers are passers by and 47% of them go to Mongkok on purpose. This can reflect the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a place with many people passes by. 27% of the respondents watch the street performances for leisure. 16% of the respondents watch the performances to support the street performers and 4% of them watch them to learn about local culture. Page 20 of 68

21 4.3.4 Popularity of different street performances Performances the audience has watched It is found that the singing performances are the most popular performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Performances such as playing instruments, circus skills, dancing and painting are also well known among the audience. However, the magic, handicraft arts, drama and calligraphy performances are less popular among the audience. From the observation, the singing performances have more audience than other performances. By rough head count, the singer, Mr. Tom Tong, has 200 audiences in circle; a dancing group was has around 70 onlookers; while a painter was only surrounded by 10 onlookers. Audiences/onlookers also stay longer time in watching singing performance. Page 21 of 68

22 4.3.5 Comments towards street performances from the audience Watching the street performances is enjoyable strongly disagree 5% disagree 6% no comment 2% neutral 13% strongly agree 32% agree 42% 72% of the respondents enjoy watching the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Only 11% of the respondents do not enjoy watching the street performances. This reflects majority of the audience has positive views towards the street performances. Positive Comments on the Street Performances They are They can They can make The No positive entertaining promote local the atmosphere performances comment culture bustling and are diversified joyful Out of the 62 respondents, 39 of them find the street performances are entertaining. 35 of them think the street performances can make the atmosphere bustling and Page 22 of 68

23 joyful. 31 of the respondents find the street performances can promote local culture. 18 of them feel that the performances are diversified. However, 2 of them do not have any positive comments. The audience has all these positive comments so this explains why they enjoy watching street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Negative Comments on the Street Performances They make They cause They cause They block They cause No negative the noise light the way hygienic comments environment pollution pollution problem be overcrowded Out of the 62 respondents, most (43) of them think that the street performances make the environment be over crowded and 6 of them think the street performances block the ways. From the observation; the street performances did make the area become more crowded. However, people could still walk through without spending much time, there was not much difficulty to walk around the area. The performers also had enough spaces to perform. There were spaces between each performer. The audience also had sufficient space to gather around the performers. 32 of the respondents think that the performances cause noise pollution. From the observation, all (8) of the singers performed with microphones and five of them played with instruments such as guitar or keyboard. The circus skills and dancing performers also play music for their performances. Thus, the performers created loud noise. Even if people stand on the other street nearby, they could still hear the sound of people singing. 6 of the respondents also think the street performances cause hygienic problems. They think the performances make the streets dirtier. It is a reasonable claim Page 23 of 68

24 because the areas near the rubbish bins were not clean as seen from the observation. The rubbish bins could not hold all the rubbish so people just threw the rubbish next to the rubbish bins. Most of the rubbish was food package or wastes from the audience. However, there are street cleaners cleaning and sweeping the streets regularly. Thus, generally speaking, the hygienic level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation was acceptable Opinions towards the suitability of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation to carry out street performances It is suitable to carry out street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation strongly disagree 3% disagree 13% strongly agree 13% no comment 2% neutral 19% agree 50% 63% of the respondents agree that the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is suitable for street performances. 19% of them stay neutral and only 16% of the respondents think it is not a suitable place. Page 24 of 68

25 Reasons of why the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances easily accessible spacious space limited impacts to the shops and residents nearby For the audience who thinks the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances, 42 of them think it is because the place is easily accessible. The transportation to the Mongkok Pedestrianisation was convenient. There are 2 MTR exits in the Pedestrianisation. Many bus and minibus stations are also located near the pedestrianisation. Therefore, people can go there conveniently and watch the street performances. 15 of them think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is spacious so it is suitable for street performances. The Mongkok Pedestrianisation is spacious because it can be observed that the performers had enough spaces to perform. There were spaces between each performer. The audience also had sufficient space to gather around the performers. Moreover, 8 of them think the street performances bring limited impacts to the shops and residents nearby so it is suitable to perform there. From the observation, all of the street performers also leave before 10:05p.m., bringing limited disturbances to the residents sleeping time. Even though the performances bring harms to certain businesses, they bring benefits to the businesses selling non expensive commodities. Page 25 of 68

26 Reasons of why the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is not a suitable place for street performances It is overcrowded The street performances cause noise pollution Cause inconvenience to the residents and shops nearby Affect safety Congested traffic nearby For the respondents who think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is not a suitable place for street performances, 21 of them think the area is over crowded, 14 of them think the performances cause inconvenience to the residents and shops nearby, 9 of them think the street performances cause noise pollution, 8 of them think they affect safety and 6 of them think the congested traffic nearby make the area unsuitable for street performances Observation on the audience The audience enjoys watching the street performances. They pay attention to the performances. Some of the audiences follow the singers to sing; some are clapping and some are dancing. Page 26 of 68

27 These four photos show the audiences enjoy watching the street performances and dance during the performances. The audience supports the street performers. There are quite a number of on lookers donating money to the street performers. For some performers with more audience, they can receive $50 60 per minute. This can bring them economic interests The audience s opinions towards the policies and rules of performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Concerning the opening time Whether the opening hour of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is long enough no 29% yes 71% The current opening hour of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is at 4 10p.m. on Saturday and at 12 10p.m. on Sunday. 71% of the responded audience thinks the opening hour of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is enough while 29% of them think it is not. For the street performers, all of the 4 interviewed performers think the opening hour is not long enough. Page 27 of 68

28 Number of days per week the Mongkok Pedestrianisation should be opened for street performances 6 days per week 3% 5 days per week 11% 7 days per week 16% 4 days per week 23% 1 day per week 2 days per 2% week 13% 3 days per week 32% 32% of the responded audience thinks that the Mongkok Pestrianisation should be opened three days per week. This is the most chosen option. When comparing with the opinions of the four interviewed street performers, Tom, Mr. Tam and Jo Ten thought that the Mongkok Pedestriaisation should be opened three days a week (Friday to Sunday) while Ms Lau said that the pedestrianisation should be opened every day. This shows that even though the audience is satisfied with the number of opening days of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, the audience and the street performers think that the area can be opened one more day per week. Time the Mongkok Pedestrianisation should be closed others 13% 11:00 p.m. 32% 9:00 p.m. 24% 10:00 p.m. 31% The Mongkok Pedestrianisation is closed at 10p.m. currently. However, 32 % of the responded audience thinks the Pedestrianisation should be closed later, at 11p.m. Page 28 of 68

29 These echoes with the views of the interviewed street performers, all of them think the performing time should end at 11:00p.m. instead. However, to the residents and shop owners, they think the Mongkok Pedestriansiation should be closed earlier, 10p.m. is appropriate while some even want it closes at 9:00p.m. Concerning the policies and regulations Whether the government should tighten the control on noise level No 11% Whether the street performers apply for a license before they perform Yes 89% No 65% Yes 35% In the audience s point of view, 89% of them think the government should tighten the control on noise level. Regarding whether the street performers should apply for a license before performing, only 35% of the responded audience thinks it is necessary. This shows that the audience thinks the current noise level is too high but is satisfied with the current performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Compendium Majority of the audience are in the middle age and elderly group. Audiences in these age groups watch each singing performance for a longer than the younger people. The singing performances are the most popular among the audience. It may be because the singers usually perform the pop songs in the 1960s 90s. From the questionnaires, it is the audiences habits to watch street performances. The street performances provide entertainment to the audience. They watch the street performances because they just pass by the Mongkok Pedestrianisation and for leisure. Majority of the audience enjoys watching street performances. They think the street performances are entertaining, can make the atmosphere bustling and are diversified. Page 29 of 68

30 However, their concerns are street performances making the area be more crowded and bring noise nuisance. The audience also contributes to the noise nuisance and congestion in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation because the clap and sing along the singing performances and gather around the performers. Majority of the audience also think that the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances. It is mainly due to the area is easily accessible, is spacious for diversified performances. Page 30 of 68

31 4.4 Impacts of the street performances to the residents in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Noise level A Major concern The major concern from the residents is the noise level of the street performances. From the interviews with the 6 residents in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, they all complaint the noise produced by the street performances is disturbing. From the interview, a resident, Ms Chan, said, The noise from the singing performances is disturbing. It is so noisy! From another interviewee, Mr. Lee, he said that the noise from the street performances makes the children cannot concentrate on doing homework Other impacts Congestion The residents also found that the street performers, onlookers and the audience sometimes block their ways and it may takes more time to walk through the pedestrianisation. From the interviewee, Ms Chan, said, Many people gather in the pedestrianisation during the street performance hours, there is crowded on onlooker block the way and it takes me more time to walk through. From the observation, it is found that the pedestrianisation area is crowded with audience and even occupies some space of the pedestrian way. As a result, pedestrian needs to slow down their footstep occasionally but still can pass thought without blocking down their movement. Light Pollution and hygienic condition The residents do not think there is any light pollution caused by street performances. From the site visit, there is no street performance need extra light sources which causes light pollution. The residents also feel the hygienic conditions in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is acceptable. It is hard to say the street performance will bring with extra rubbish as that area is always with high flow of pedestrian. The residents said that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have scheduled for street cleaners to sweep and Page 31 of 68

32 clean the street several times a day. Hence, they feel that Hygienic conditions is not altered much even with street performance there. The hygienic condition in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. The street cleaners sweep and clean the streets. From actual site visit on week day, weekend and Sunday, it is found that there is street cleaner to sweep the street and clean up the rubbish bin on regular basis. There is no difference in hygienic conditions between week days and the day with street performance. Air pollution Some resident at lower floor say that street performance can help to improve air pollution problem indirectly. As the Mongkok Pedestrianisation does not open for vehicular traffic in the weekends, they think the air quality is better as street performances will not emit carbon dioxide but the automobiles will Views towards the rules in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation All of the interviewees think that the government should control the noise level of the street performers in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. They believe they can have better quality of life when the noise level in the area is lower. Some of the residents suggest the opening hours end at 9:00 p.m. as some may go to bed after that. Page 32 of 68

33 Compendium The noise nuisance from the street performances is the major concern of the residents living in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Lower the sound level limit and shorten the open time of Pedestrianisation seems to be the only solution. Other than the noise nuisance, it is there is not much negative impact on them. Page 33 of 68

34 4.5 Impacts of the street performances to the shops in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Positive Impacts From the interviews with a staff of a shop selling fruit juice, snacks and drinks, she said, The street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation can bring more customers to the shops in that area. Many of the audience buy food from us. We can do more business when the street performers perform here. There are more business opportunities than on weekdays. Other two small shops selling mobile phone cover and snack whose owners also said that Street Performance can bring in more people to Mongkok and can contribute their business. Only with this benefit, they can tolerate a higher sound level as generated by street performers. They also said that the noise level will not affect the operation much. From the newspaper of Apple Daily, a shop owner in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, Ms Ng, admitted that the street performers bring more business opportunities to the shops. The locals are willing to shop around after watching the street performances. 6 From visual check on shops at two sides of Mongkok Pedestrianisation during the street performance period, it is found that there are still many people shopping in boutiques, cosmetic shops, food stalls and small stalls selling smart phone covers. Their business seems not affect by the street performance. Moreover, it is observed that there are onlookers/audience walking into these shops after 10 p.m. (after the street performances end). Some of these shops closed at 11:00 or even later while the shops on the next street are closed at 10:00 10:30pm. [6] Apple Daily (2013). 行人專用區限星期六日及公眾假開放旺角 殺街 居民歡迎街頭藝人失望. Retrieved from : Page 34 of 68

35 4.5.2 Negative Impacts Noise Nuisance The noise from the street performances disturbs the business of some of the shops. From the interviews with the shop owner of Brighter Optical Centre, he said the noise from the street performances is disturbing their business activities. He said, The noise level is too high and I can hardly communicate with the customers. This is hindering me from providing eyesight testing services to the customers. Therefore, it is found that the noise from the street performances disturb the shops which provide services to people. Congestion The street performances also make the road become congested and block the ways to get into some shops in Mongkok Pedestrianisation. From the spectacles shop owner, he said, The audience makes the road become congested. Some even gather outside my shop. The crowd of audience blocks my customers coming into my shop. The congestion problem in the Mongkok Pedestrinisation According to the data from the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, Mr Chow Chun fai, the district councilor, said that he often receives complaints from the shop owners and residents in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. They complain about the noise and the congestion caused by the street performances. Moreover, according to the data from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the department received 20 complaints about the congestion caused by the street performances and 6 complaints about the noise from the street Page 35 of 68

36 performances in the first half of Views towards the rules in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation From the interviews, many shop owners think the government should control the noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation strictly. From the interview, the staff in the fruit juice shop thinks the opening hour of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is appropriate. However, the spectacles shop owner thinks the opening hour can be shortened to 6:00p.m. to 10:00p.m.. Compendium The street performances bring positive and negative impacts to the shops in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. It depends on the nature of the shops. For the shops selling non expensive commodities, the huge pedestrian flow brought by the street performances gives them more customers and business opportunities. However, for the shops selling durable and luxury items, the customers are not willing to shop there if it is too noisy. Moreover, some shops may be blocked by the audiences too. The shops only concern about the noise and congestion problems. They want the government to control the noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. [2] District Councils (2013) 至 2015 年度油尖旺區議會交通運輸委員會第九次會議記錄. Retrieved from _ _C.pdf Page 36 of 68

37 5. Discussions The environment of Mongkok Pedestrianisation From the questionnaires, more than 50% of the audience/onlooker are passers by. With the high residential and moving population of Mongkok area, it may turn into a huge passers by group. It is estimate by Transportaion Depatment that the pedestrian flow at Sai Yeung Choi Street South is up to about 20,000 pedestrians per hour. This is one of the sources of audience/onlooker. In this respect, Mongkok Pedestrianisation a suitable place to carry out street performances. Secondly, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is easily accessible from different parts of Hong Kong. The public or fans can go to Mongkok Pedestrianisation by underground or public vehicle. The same apply to performers. The performance zone is at the exits of Mongkok MTR station; all these convenient make it a suitable location for street performance. Thirdly, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation spacious for street performances. 15 out of the 62 responded audiences and 3 out of the 4 interviewees think that there is adequate space so it is suitable for street performances. From the observation, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation can accommodate 17 groups of performers and the audience at the same time. With plentiful spaces, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances. Fourthly, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is well known to the local people on its diversified street performances. Different varieties of street performances assemble there. This attracts people going there and enjoys the performances. Just as 2 of the interviewed street performers said, since there are many different street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, there is a unique atmosphere. This image makes the Mongkok Pedestrianisation suitable for street performances. Page 37 of 68

38 Impacts to different stakeholders The street performances bring positive and negative impacts to various stakeholders. The street performances can bring more people to the area and some shops are benefit from it. On the other hand, some may find the noise level affect their operation and some even feel the crowd of audience block the entrance and make customer difficult to get in. From the interviews with the shop owner and the residents in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, they think the noise from the street performances is disturbing their daily operation and lives. They also think that the street performances bring congestion problem. There is the pro and con on this issue. The residents living nearby are suffering from the noise and congestion caused by street performance. The Government, the street performer and even the audiences should do something for them. Meeting the street performers purposes The street performers admitted in the interviews that street performances can satisfy their own interest and share joy with others, getting direct income from donation/tip and even can help to generate extra works. They can do better in Mongkok Pedestrianisation than in other area. As such the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performer. Satisfying the audience For the audience, they can have free entertainment by watching the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Some of them make watch the performances as a habit. The middle age and old people enjoy watching live band singing pop songs of 60 80s because they may not find the same type of entertainment elsewhere. While the young people can understand more about Hong Kong culture from this show too. For other street performers, they do provide some fun and leisure to onlooker and shopper drop by. Page 38 of 68

39 Rules and legislations Currently, there is no law particularly pin point to street performances but only governed by the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228), the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap. 400) and the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (Cap. 390). The government should look into implement new law or regulation applicable to street performance, such as more stringent control on noise level and implement licenses system. Maybe street performers not like such to happen but the government ought to give considerations to stakeholders suffering from street performance in the area. Page 39 of 68

40 6. Conclusion After many interviews, survey, field visits and research works, I feel the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is suitable for street performances. Firstly, the environment and infrastructure of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation makes it suitable for street performances. It is easily accessible, has large pedestrian flow, adequate space and is well known for its diversified street performances. These satisfy the needs of the street performers and the audience. Secondly, the audience enjoys the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. For some audiences, watching the street performances is their habits. Majority of the audience are from the middle age and elderly group. The singing performances including live bands and solo singing old Cantonese pop songs and English oldies, from the field visit, one can find the audiences highly enjoy the shows. Easy to access to Mongkok is important for them. Before there is another place for performance of this nature, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is still the most suitable location. Thirdly, by performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation, street performers can get direct and indirect income. Some also find self satisfaction because they can show off their talent and provide entertainment to others at the same time. Many of them have been performing in Mongkok for several years. They cannot get the same return when performing in other areas. It is the combination of atmosphere and environmental factors make Mongkok Pedestrianisation suitable for street performing. Fourth, some shops in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation can get benefits from the large pedestrian flow. The street performances attract extra visitors come to that area which can bring more customers and business opportunities to these shops (mostly selling non expensive commodities). This is verified by journalist of Apple Daily. But for the shops selling durable and luxury products, the noise and congestion problems affect their operation. Because the street performances are only on Saturday and Sunday, their customers can visit these shops on week days or before the opening hour of Pedestrianisation, hence, the overall contribution of street performance to the retailing business there is still a gain. Fifth, the residents living nearby the Mongkok Pedestrianisation suffer from the Page 40 of 68

41 noise nuisance generated by the street performances. This is the stakeholder the government should do something to assist them. I will make recommendation in the next section. To analyze, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances. It has a suitable environment which the street performers and the audiences agree. The audience enjoys and has the habits to watch the street performances. The street performers can achieve purposes or needs. Some shops can also benefit from the street performances. Although the noise disturbs the residents and some of the shops, the noise level is supposed to be within the limit of the Noise Control Ordinance because the performers are seldom charged by local authority of noise nuisance in the past. The shops should note that there are street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation since year 2006 or earlier, for those luxury goods and durable products chain stores; they can determine to stay or move to other location. That is merely commercial decision and not uncommon in their business enviorment. Only for those residents living in that area, it is unfair for them to live with such noise nuisance. For which, the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is only opened in the weekends and keep the impacts to minimal. Anyhow, the government should do more to on noise control and help the resident suffer less. Many of the stakeholders can benefit from the street performance, which can outweigh the negative impacts it brought. To strike a balance, it can be concluded that the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances. Page 41 of 68

42 7. Recommendation First, the government should consider changing the opening hours of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Since street performances cause noise nuisance to resident nearby and many of them want to have a quiet night at home on the weekends, it will be worthwhile to change the open hour from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (instead of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) to comply their needs. It was also found that the residents generally accept higher noise level at day time than at night as some may go to bed early. Switching the opening hour advance by one hour but maintaining the same duration can be a mutual acceptable arrangement. Second, the government can set up a licenses system to manage street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Under this system, the government can set up guidelines to differentiate street promoters from street performers and expel the internet and telecom service promoters from the area. Such can help to reduce the congestion. Through issuing the licenses, local authorities can set up stricter control in sound level and street performers have to comply with it, or otherwise, their licenses will be cancelled. This will be more effective than charging them a small fine or penalty according to the Noise Control Ordinance. In addition, the system can also set obligation to performers requesting them to persuade the audience not to stand on the pavement footpath and avoid blocking the shop entrance. All these can help to lower the negative impact of street performance. Third, The Authority can look into setting up a low sound level zone particular for non musical performance such as handicraft, circus skills and magic etc. This can bring in more varieties of street performance to the area but without creating extra noise or sound. This can also help to make Mongkok Pedestrianisation more interesting. Fourth, if noise level is still an issue, the government should consider lowering the sound level limit in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Thus the noise nuisance to residents can be reduced significantly. When the noise level from the performers is lowered, fewer audiences will crowd around the performers, which can lessen the congestion problem too. This measure will have a direct impact to those musical performers and should be considered carefully. Page 42 of 68

43 8. Reflection It is a valuable experience to do this independent enquiry study. Through this learning experience, I can understand more about the situation of street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation and gain skills which are useful when I do other projects in the future. To begin with, I can have a more in depth understanding in the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Before I start doing this project, I assume street performances are usually in low quality and bring many negative impacts to other stakeholders. However, after paying several visits to the Mongkok Pedestrianisation to learn more about street performances, I found that street performers are passionate towards their performances and bring joy and entertainment to the audience. The negative impacts brought to other stakeholders are not as serious as I thought. I started to pay respect to the street performers and appreciate their performances. In the second place, I can learn how to set questionnaires and in depth interview questions related to the focus questions. As my project involves data from different stakeholders, I learn to organize the data and divide them into different categories so that the readers can follow easily. However, there are still some limitations and rooms for improvement in this project. Firstly, I can only interview 4 residents and 2 shop owners in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation because of time limitation. It is also because the residents did not want to be interviewed and some of the staff in the chain shops refused to answer questions during their work. If I could do this project once again, I would interview more shop owners so that I can collect more shop owners opinions towards street performances and have a more thorough understanding in their perspective. Secondly, it is difficult to say whether the sales of the shops in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation has increased or not because of the large pedestrian flow brought by the street performances. The shopkeepers and owners are reluctant to reveal their sales figures so I can only guess whether their businesses are positively or negatively affected by the street performances by rough head count. Third, I could not interview the Yau Tsim Mong district councilor. As the district councilor has a busy schedule, he refused to be interviewed. His assistant also Page 43 of 68

44 refused to answer my questions about the impacts of the street performances on the residents and shops in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. As the residents and shop owners usually file their complaints about the street performances to the district council, the district councilor should have a better understanding on the impacts of street performances to the residents and shop owners. Thus, I can only collect the opinions from these two stakeholders from my few interviewees, which may not reveal all of the stakeholders concerns. Last but not least, I pay my deepest gratitude to the following people for their help and guidance in the process of completing this project. I would like to thank my teacher for his patience and guidance; and for giving me useful advice from the beginning to the end of doing this project. I would also like to express my gratitude towards the street performances audience for their time spent on completing the questionnaires. I am grateful for the useful information from the interviewees gave during the interviews. I would also like to show my gratitude to my parents who have encouraged and supported me in completing this study successfully. Page 44 of 68

45 9. References AM730 新聞 (2010). 銅鑼灣表演雜技被控阻街蘇春就罪名不成立. Retrieved from : Apple Daily (2013). 行人專用區限星期六日及公眾假開放旺角 殺街 居民歡迎街頭藝人失望. Retrieved from Department of Justice, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Cap 400 Noise Control Ordinance. Retrieved from DFD EF0002A7A7?OpenDocument&bt=0 District Councils (2013) 至 2015 年度油尖旺區議會交通運輸委員會第九次會議記錄. Retrieved from : TC_Minutes_9th_ _C.pdf Leisure and Cultural Services Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2014). Facilities, Tsuen Wan Park. Retrieved from : Legislative Council (2008). 蘇春就對 設於私人發展項目內的公共設施 的書面意見 Retrieved from : 08/chinese/panels/plw/papers/dev0531cb c. pdf [2] Press Releases (2006). LCQ6: Street performance. Retrieved from : Press Releases (2010). LCQ2: Street performances. Retrieved from : Press Releases (2012). Applications invited for HK Cultural Centre Arts and Crafts Fair stalls. Retrieved from: Page 45 of 68

46 Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation. Retrieved from: on/index.html Transport Department, The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2013). Transport Department, Pedestrainisation, Mongkok. Retrieved from: on/mong_kok/index.html Page 46 of 68

47 10. Appendices 10.1 Questionnaires distributed to the audience Personal information 個人資料 1. What is your gender? 你的性別是 Male 男 Female 女 2. What is your age? 你的年齡是 Below 歲或以下 至 40 歲 至 60 歲 61or above 61 或以上 Practice of watching street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation ( 在旺角行人專用區觀看街頭表演的習慣 ) 3. How often do you watch the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? 你會多久在旺角行人專用區觀看街頭表演? Just for the first time 這只是第 1 次 Once to twice a month 每月 1 至 2 次 Three times to four times a month 每月 3 至 4 次 (skip Q5 跳過第 5 題 ) More than five times a month 每月多於 5 次 (skip Q5 跳過第 5 題 ) 4. How much time will you spend on watching the performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation every time? 你每次會花多少時間觀看在旺角行人專用區的街頭表演? 5 10 minutes 5 至 10 分鐘 minutes 11 至 20 分鐘 minutes 21 至 30 分鐘 (skip Q5 跳過第 5 題 ) minutes 30 至 60 分鐘 (skip Q5 跳過第 5 題 ) More than 1 hour 多於 1 小時 (skip Q5 跳過第 5 題 ) Page 47 of 68

48 5. Why do you watch the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation for such a low frequency/for such a short time? (can choose more than 1 answer) 為什麼你看過街頭表演的次數這麼少?/ 為什麼你只花這麼少時間觀看街頭表演?( 可選多於一個答案 ) The performances are boring 表演沉悶 There are limited varieties of performances 表演不夠多元化 The environment is so noisy 環境很嘈吵 The pedestrianisation is so crowded 行人專用區很擠迫 The transportation is not convenient 交通不方便 Other reasons 其他 : 6. What kinds of street performances will you watch/have you watched before in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你在旺角行人專用區將會觀看 / 觀看過那類街頭表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) Singing 唱歌 Playing instrument 演奏樂器 Dancing 舞蹈 Circus skills 雜耍 Magic 魔術 Painting 繪畫 Handicraft arts 手工 Drama 畫劇 Calligraphy 書法 Others 其他 : 7. Why do you come and watch the performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你為何來旺角行人專用區觀看街頭表演?( 可選多於 1 個答案 ) Just pass by 我只經過這裏 For leisure 消磨時間 / 娛樂 To support the performers 支持街頭表演者 To learn more about local culture 了解本地文化 Others 其它 : Page 48 of 68

49 Opinions on the street performances in the Mongkok pedestrianisation 對於在旺角行人專用區街頭表演的意見 8. Please indicate your response to the following statements: I enjoy watching the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. 請在以下這句說話反映你的意見 : 我享受在旺角行人專用區觀看街頭表演 Strongly agree 非常同意 Agree 同意 Neutral 中立 Disagree 不同意 Strongly disagree 非常不同意 No comment 沒有意見 9. What are your positive comments on the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你對旺角行人專用區裏的街頭表演有什麼正面的評價? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) They are entertaining 它們有娛樂性 They can promote local culture 它們可推廣本地文化 They can make the atmosphere bustling and joyful 它們令行人專用區裏 的氣氛歡樂及熱鬧 The performances are diversified 表演是多元化的 Others 其它 : I don't have any positive comment 我對它們沒有正面評價 10. What are your negative comments on the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你對旺角行人專用區裏的街頭表演有什麼負面的評價?( 可選多於一個答案 ) They make the environment be over crowded 它們令環境過於擠逼 They cause noise pollution 它們帶來噪音污染 They cause light pollution 它們帶來光污染 They block the way 它們阻擋通道 They cause hygienic problem 它們帶來衛生問題 Others 其它 : I don't have any negative comment 我對它們沒有負面評價 Page 49 of 68

50 11. What are your favourite street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 以下哪些是你最喜歡的街頭表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) Singing 唱歌 Playing instrument 演奏樂器 Dancing 舞蹈 Circus skills 雜耍 Magic 魔術 Painting 繪畫 Handicraft arts 手工 Drama 畫劇 Calligraphy 書法 Others 其他 : 12. Do you think there are enough varieties of street performances? 你認為旺角行人專用區裏的街頭表演多元化嗎? Yes 夠 No 不夠 13. What kinds of performances do you want to see more? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你想觀看多些哪類街頭表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) Singing 唱歌 Playing instrument 演奏樂器 Dancing 舞蹈 Circus skills 雜耍 Magic 魔術 Painting 繪畫 Handicraft arts 手工 Drama 畫劇 Calligraphy 書法 Others 其他 : Page 50 of 68

51 14. What kinds of performances should not be shown in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? (can choose more than 1 answer) 哪些表演不應該在這裏表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) Singing 唱歌 Playing instrument 演奏樂器 Dancing 舞蹈 Circus skills 雜耍 Magic 魔術 Painting 繪畫 Handicraft arts 手工 Drama 畫劇 Calligraphy 書法 Others 其他 : 15. Why don t you want to see the performances you stated in Q15? (can choose more than 1 answer) 你為什麼認為第 14 題中所選的街頭表演不應在這裏表演?( 可選多於一個答案 ) They cause so much noise 它們帶來很多嘈音 They are boring 它們很沉悶 The performances are not professional 表演不專業 They are not entertaining 它們沒有娛樂性 They have low cultural value 它們的文化價值低 They are so common, I can watch this kind of performances anywhere 它 們很普通, 我在任何地方都可看到這類表演 Others 其他 : Opinions towards the Suitability of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation to carry out street performances 對於在旺角行人專用區進行街頭表演合適性的意見 16. Please indicate your response to the following statements: I think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances 請在以下這句說話反映你的意見 : 我認為旺角行人專用區是一個合適的地方作街頭表演 Page 51 of 68

52 Strongly agree 強烈同意 Agree 同意 Neutral 中立 Disagree 不同意 Strongly disagree 強烈不同意 No comment 沒有意見 17. Why do you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances? (can choose more than 1 answer) 為何你認為旺角行人專用區是一個合適的地方作街頭表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) Easily accessible 容易到達 Spacious place 地方寬敞 Limited impacts to the residents and shops nearby 對附近居民和店舖構 成有限的影響 Other reason 其它 : 18. Why don t you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is a suitable place for street performances? (can choose more than 1 answer) 為何你不認為旺角行人專用區是一個合適的地方作街頭表演? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) It is over crowded 地點太過擠迫 The street performances cause noise pollution 街頭表演帶來噪音污染 Cause inconvenience to the residents and shops nearby 對附近的居民和店 舖構成不便 Affect safety (e.g. the ambulance cannot pass through) 對安全構成影響 ( 例如 : 救護車不能通過 ) Congested traffic nearby 對附近交通造成擠塞 Other reasons 其它 : Opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation 對於在旺角行人專用區的政策及條例的意見 19. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? 你認為旺角行人專用區街頭表演的開放時間是否足夠? Page 52 of 68

53 Yes 是 No 不是 20. How long should the opening hour be? 開放時間應為多久? Please specify: days/week 請指定 : 日 / 星期 From a.m./p.m. to a.m./p.m. 由 上午 / 下午至 上午 / 下午 21. When should the Mongkok Pedestrianisation be opened? (can choose more than 1 answer) 旺角行人專用區應何時開放? ( 可選多於一個答案 ) weekday daytime 平日日間 weekday nighttime 平日夜間 weekend daytime 週末日間 weekend nighttime 週末夜間 22. At what time should the Mongkok Pedestrianisation be closed? 旺角行人專用區應何時關閉? 9:00 p.m. 晚上 9 時 10:00 p.m. 晚上 10 時 11:00 p.m. 晚上 11 時 Others: 其它 23. Should the government set a limit on the number of street performers performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation each day? 政府應否制定每天在旺角行人專用區表演者的人數? Yes 應該 No 不應該 24. To ensure the nature of performances, should the street performers apply for a Page 53 of 68

54 license before they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? 為確保表演的性質, 旺角行人專用區的表演者應否在表演前申請許可證? Yes 應該 No 不應該 25. Should the government divide area for each performer in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? 政府應否在旺角行人專用區劃分每個表演者的場地? Yes 應該 No 不應該 26. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? 政府應否在旺角行人專用區加緊控制聲音的水平? Yes 應該 No 不應該 The End 完結 Thank you! 多謝! Page 54 of 68

55 10.2 Interview transcripts of street performers Interview with street performer (1) Gender: Male Age: around 50 Nature of street performance: Singing Information about their background and performances 1. How long have you been performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 3 years 2. How often do you perform in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 2 nights per week 3. Is performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation your full time occupation? Yes 4. Do you perform for yourself or any organization? myself Purposes of performing 5. What are your purposes to perform? For my own interest, I love singing. I sing also because I want to entertain people. People here support me. I have fans here. 6. Can performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation meet the above purposes? Why or why not? Yes. 7. Why do you come performing here instead of in other places (e.g. Trim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, Tsuen Wan Park)? I do not have to apply or be invited in order to perform here. It is freer to sing here when comparing to other places. People here also enjoy my performances. 8. Do you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is an ideal place for street performances? Is there any short coming? Yes, there are many audience and there are fewer restrictions. I can t think of any short coming. Opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation 9. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? Page 55 of 68

56 No 10. How long should the opening hour be? 3 days per week. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) From 4:30p.m. to 10 p.m. 11. When should the Mongkok pedestrianisation be opened? weekday nighttime, weekend nighttime 12. Should the government set a limit on the number of street performers performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation each day? No. Everyone should have a chance to perform freely here. 13. To ensure the nature of performances, should the street performers apply for a license before they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. There is no problem with the current policy and it will become complicated after the government interfere us. 14. Should the government divide area for each performer in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. Performers who usually perform here come to the same area everything they perform. There is no need for the government to do so. 15. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. We are self disciplined now. The police will come to us if someone complains on our noise level. Page 56 of 68

57 Interview with street performer (2) Gender: Male Age: around 30 Nature of street performance: Drawing Information about their background and performances 1. How long have you been performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? Half year 2. How often do you perform in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 2 nights per week 3. Is performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation your full time occupation? No 4. Do you perform for yourself or any organization? Myself Purposes of performing 5. What are your purposes to perform? For my own interest and to bring happiness to others. I paint for the pass by and they can take the pictures back home as souvenirs. 6. Can performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation meet the above purposes? Why or why not? Yes. 7. Why do you come performing here instead of in other places (e.g. Trim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, Tsuen Wan Park)? My home and the place where I go to work are nearby; it is convenient for me to perform here. There are also more people here so I can share my interest with more people. 8. Do you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is an ideal place for street performances? Is there any short coming? Yes. Opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation 9. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? No 10. How long should the opening hour be? 3 days per week. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) Page 57 of 68

58 From 6p.m. to 11 p.m. 11. When should the Mongkok pedestrianisation be opened? weekday nighttime, weekend nighttime 12. Should the government set a limit on the number of street performers performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation each day? No. 13. To ensure the nature of performances, should the street performers apply for a license before they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. 14. Should the government divide area for each performer in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. 15. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. Page 58 of 68

59 Interview with street performer (3) Gender: Male Age: around 30 Nature of street performance: Freestyle football Information about their background and performances 1. How long have you been performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 3 years 2. How often do you perform in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 2 nights per week 3. Is performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation your full time occupation? No. other occupation: football coach, performer for commercial activities 4. Do you perform for yourself or any organization? Myself Purposes of performing 5. What are your purposes to perform? After suffering from an injury in 2012, I started performing here. It is my dream and interest to perform and promote freestyle football to others. By performing freestyle football, I can promote World Cup and football culture to the public. I can also gain money. 6. Can performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation meet the above purposes? Why or why not? Yes. I can perform in a near distance from the audience in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. We can interact and I think I can promote freestyle football to them successfully. After becoming more popular here, some people find me to perform in different commercial activities and I can earn $2000 to $3000 per event. Some also find me to be the coach of football classes for kids. The pedestrian like my performance and they also tip me. Therefore, I can earn money by performing here. 7. Why do you come performing here instead of in other places (e.g. Trim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, Tsuen Wan Park)? First, there are more pedestrian in Mongkok so I can share the football culture to more people. Second, performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is performing on the street. I can have closer distance from the audience and have more interaction with them. Page 59 of 68

60 8. Do you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is an ideal place for street performances? Is there any short coming? Yes. Opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation 9. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? Yes. 10. How long should the opening hour be? 3 days per week. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) From 2p.m. to 10 p.m. 11. When should the Mongkok pedestrianisation be opened? weekday nighttime, weekend nighttime 12. Should the government set a limit on the number of street performers performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation each day? No. The situation will then be so complicated. 13. To ensure the nature of performances, should the street performers apply for a license before they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. The government does not have related knowledge in this area. They will only make the situation become chaotic. 14. Should the government divide area for each performer in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. 15. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. People can be self disciplined. Page 60 of 68

61 Interview with street performer (4) Gender: Female Age: around 60 Nature of street performance: Dancing Information about their background and performances 1. How long have you been performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 4 years 2. How often do you perform in the Mongkok pedestrianisation? 2 nights per week 3. Is performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation your full time occupation? No 4. Do you perform for yourself or any organization? A group Purposes of performing 5. What are your purposes to perform? It is my interest to dance here. People who like dancing can join me whenever they like. I can also share happiness to them. 6. Can performing in the Mongkok pedestrianisation meet the above purposes? Why or why not? Yes. There are many people in this area; they are interested in watching our performance. People are willing to us and dance. 7. Why do you come performing here instead of in other places (e.g. Trim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, Tsuen Wan Park)? The Mongkok Pedestrianisation is easily accessible. We can also perform here without restriction. 8. Do you think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation is an ideal place for street performances? Is there any short coming? Yes. Opinions towards the policies or rules of the Mongkok Pestrianisation 9. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? No. 10. How long should the opening hour be? Every day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Page 61 of 68

62 11. When should the Mongkok pedestrianisation be opened? weekday nighttime, weekend nighttime 12. Should the government set a limit on the number of street performers performing in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation each day? No. 13. To ensure the nature of performances, should the street performers apply for a license before they perform in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. 14. Should the government divide area for each performer in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. 15. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? No. Page 62 of 68

63 10.3 Interview transcripts of shop owners Interviewee 1: Staff of a shop selling fruit juice 1. What kind of products do you sell? Our shop sells fresh fruit juice, some drinks and snacks. 2. Do the street performances positively affect your daily operation? How? The street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation can bring more customers to the shops in that area. Many of the audience buy food from us. We can do more business when the street performers perform here. There are more business opportunities than on weekdays. 3. Do the street performances negatively affect your daily operation? How? No, not really. 4. Do you think the noise level in the Mongkok pedestrianisation acceptable? The noise level is a bit high but it is acceptable. 5. Do you think the street performers and the audience are blocking the ways? No. 6. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? Yes, it is appropriate. 7. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? Yes, it can. Page 63 of 68

64 Interviewee 2: shop owner of a spectacles shop 1. What kind of products do you sell? My shop sells glasses and provides eyesight testing services 2. Do the street performances positively affect your daily operation? How? No. 3. Do the street performances negatively affect your daily operation? How? The noise level is too high and I can hardly communicate with the customers. This is hindering me from providing eyesight testing services to the customers. The audience makes the road become congested. Some even gather outside my shop. The crowd of audience blocks my customers coming into my shop. 4. Do you think the noise level in the Mongkok pedestrianisation acceptable? No. the noise level is too high. 5. Do you think the street performers and the audience are blocking the ways? Yes, they block the way in front of my shop. 6. Do you think the opening hour of the Mongkok pedestrianisation for street performances is long enough? It is too long. I think the opening hour can be shortened to 6:00p.m. to 10:00p.m.. 7. Should the government tighten the control on noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation? Yes. Page 64 of 68

65 10.4 Interview summary with resident nearby Four residents are interviewed. All of them think that the noise from the street performances disturbs their daily lives. Even though the street performances stop at 10 p.m., which do not disturb their sleeping time, they think living under noise is chivvy. One of the residents say the noise makes the children cannot concentrate on doing homework. The street performers and the audience also sometimes block their ways and it takes time to walk through the pedestrianisation. The noise level is not acceptable while they think street performances do not deteriorate the hygiene of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Two residents think the Mongkok Pedestrianisation should only be opened in weekends, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. while the other two think the opening hours can be from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The government should control the noise level in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation Observation report I visited the Mongkok Pedestrianisation for seven times. I made observations on the street performers, the audience and the impacts of the street performances on the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Target Group: Street performers First, there are several varieties of street performances. There are 9 singing performances, 2 painting performances, 1 instrumental performance, 1 dancing performance, 1 circus skills performance and 1 freestyle football performances. I can conclude that singing performances are common in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. Among the 9 singing performances, 7 of them performed in a group and the remaining 2 of them performed solo. All of them were singing the 1960s 90s pop Cantonese or English songs. All of them performed with microphones and five of them played with instruments such as guitar or keyboard. Page 65 of 68

66 Second, I found majority of the street performances entertaining and are professional. The singing performances are the most popular among the performances. Almost all of the performances were observed by audience. Some singing performances with better quality are observed by more than 100 people. Almost all of the street performers observe the rules of the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. A small mumber of them left the pdestrianisation from 9:00 10:00 p.m. and all of them left the area before 10:30 p.m. Target group: audience There was a lot of audience watching the street performances in the Mongkok Pedestrianisation. There were more than more than 100 people watching a singing performance with high quality. There were also more than 60 people observing other singing performances with reasonable quality. In general, there were around 10 to 20 Page 66 of 68

67 people observing other performances such as the circus skills and the dancing performances. People in different age group watched the street performances. The singing performances were more popular among the middle aged group, around 60% of the audience watching the singing performances are the middle aged people. The freestyle football performance was more popular among the young people, majority of the audience are around 15 to 30 years old. The audience also enjoyed the performances. They paid attention to the performances and some of them even clapped and danced with the music. They were also self disciplined. They did not push one another and were willing to give ways to other pedestrians when necessary. Although there were many people, the situation was not chaotic. Target: the Mongkok Pedestrianisation The performers had enough spaces to perform. There were spaces between each performer. The audience also had sufficient space to gather around the performers. The street performances did make the area become more crowded. However, people Page 67 of 68