I actually remember walking along this Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard in Hong Kong in Year 1997 when i visited with my sister and her friend but fast forward to 22 years later; things remained pretty much the same.
With the exception of this flight of staircase with child-height statues on the sides. I would have normally treated this as a simple publicity showcase but thanks to my last-minute research; i recalled there's an avenue of comic stars somewhere around Tsim Sha Tsui.
Showcasing popular comic characters hailed from local comic artists, i can only recognise Old Master Q (老夫子) as the comic books are often placed in barbershops and hair salons (even till this day)!
The avenue wasn't huge although i regretted not checking it out in the daytime when lighting condition would be so much better. On second thought, Alex will not take too kindly to the warm summer temperature.
Furthermore, we can't relate much to the comic characters, especially for Alex who can't recognise more Chinese characters; even for me, my childhood revolved around Taiwanese and Japanese comics.
Again, Old Master Q (老夫子)! The good thing about Old Master Q comic is like it can be super short like only 6-panel strip; making it very palatable for a kid. However, it can also stretch into a story, going back to ancient times, with dozens of pages. When you need to wait for your turn for a haircut, it's literally the best companion!
"Handprints of distinguished local comic artists" - one out of ten in the venue, this one showed one handprint but the label indicated Alphonso Wong [original creator of Old Master Q (老夫子)] and Joseph Wong (son).
Don't know who this is even though the name of the comic artist, Ma Wing Shing, rings a bell!
When i saw this status and read the information label, i knew who this Ma Wing Shing is. He is the creator of Fung Wan (风云) which is eventually adapted into a movie starring Aaron Kwok and i even remember there's a RPG (game) which i had played before!
Goofing around the statues; according to their website, there were 30 statues of comic characters, ranging in height from 1.8 meters to 3.0 meters tall.
Cuter character; Kon would have loved to take a picture with the panda. Inspired by the two pandas in Ocean Park, On On and Guy Guy (聾貓) is a young comic created only in Year 2004.
Ding Ding Penguin (丁丁企鹅) - at my age, comic / cartoon is no longer that much of an attraction even though i still enjoy the occasional Doraemon cartoon shown on television.
Not many people in the avenue, which was opened in Year 2012. Guess many people are better acquainted with its more famous cousin, Avenue of Stars along the Victoria Harbour waterfront.
Compared to the larger statues, i prefer the smaller yet way cuter statues at the entrance staircase. Poor Ding Ding Penguin is relegated to the back where it's overshadowed by the others. To be fair, i think it's a newly added character.
End of our short exploration!
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Location
Kowloon Park Dr, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Map
As above.
Website
For the summary of my seven days' itinerary to Hong Kong (with a day trip to Shenzhen), please click here.