On New Year’s Eve (31 December), multi-colored “shooting stars” glided across the sky above Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, while a “golden dragon” spiralled up the iconic building Two ifc. These auspicious motifs created by pyrotechnics were part of the 5th Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), with The Hong Kong Jockey Club as the supporting sponsor. The event instilled great excitement among the Hong Kong people and visitors, as they wished for a better year in 2012.
The officiating ceremony of the Hong Kong Countdown Celebrations was performed by the event’s Guest of Honor Mr Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), who was accompanied by Mrs Tsang; Mr James Tien, HKTB Chairman; Mr Gregory So, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong SAR; Sir C K Chow, Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, supporting sponsor of the event; and Hong Kong’s 40-millionth visitor in 2011 Ms Nancy Ryan from Chicago, US.
The Countdown Celebrations featured a total of 10 buildings on Hong Kong Island, including Two ifc. The event took on the theme “Soaring Dragon with a Happy Heart”, which ties in perfectly with the Year of the Dragon on the lunar calendar. Beginning at 11pm on 31 December, pyrotechnics were launched atop the 10 buildings every 15 minutes to create shooting stars in four colors, symbolising luck in career, health, fortune and love in 2012.
Entering the final 10 seconds of 2011, visitors and local residents on both sides of Victoria Harbour began counting down in unison along with the numeric countdown generated by pyrotechnics atop the 10 buildings. When the clock struck midnight, a large-scale pyrotechnic show lasting four minutes commenced, against the music of the theme song written by Hong Kong-based music producer and composer Mr Chiu Tsang Hei. The show reached a climax when the greetings “Happy New Year” appeared on the rooftops of the buildings, while a “golden dragon” encircled Two ifc to allude to a vibrant Hong Kong economy in 2012.
Besides providing major news media worldwide with satellite feed, the HKTB broadcast the event live on Weibo to showcase the entire Countdown Celebrations to the global audience. Catering to the Hong Kong viewers, the Jade Channel of the Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) also offered live broadcast of the pyrotechnic show and the accompanying performances.
source:gmanetwork.com
