‘Regulations Kill’ the Vibe for Hong Kong’s Indie Music Scene
Hong Kong said that If no such choices exist in our city, that’s a pity.
By MIKE IVESJULY 9, 2017
HONG KONG — Just after the rock band finished its set, a squad of police officers in riot gear swept into the industrial building, past the freight-elevator lobby,
and through the doors of Hidden Agenda, a ground-floor music club in Hong Kong.
After studying industrial zoning rules in Seoul and London, he said, he plans to introduce legislation
that would allow live houses like Hidden Agenda to operate legally on the first three levels of industrial buildings if they met reasonable safety standards.
Policy experts say that Mr. Hui’s troubles at Hidden Agenda, the beating heart of Hong Kong’s "live house" indie music scene, illustrate how zoning and performance rules in this city of 7.4 million are so restrictive
that they impede artistic expression and cultural development.
Tanya Chan said that We are not just talking about upper-class, high-class art,
What’s more, a recent industrial "revitalization" program gave landlords financial incentives to convert industrial buildings into offices,
but it also drove up the value of such space in districts like East Kowloon, a popular area for live houses.
