又中又英｜A wake-up call

Hong Kong’s last colonial governor, Chris Patten, was said to have liked poking around  Hollywood Road’s antique shops and art galleries. I know nothing about antiques but often explored Hollywood Road and its old areas when I lived in a serviced apartment in Central years ago. It was the second road to be built during colonial rule, after Queen’s Road Central. The UK-based global magazine Time Out has named it the world’s second coolest street after Melbourne’s High Street in this year’s rankings. Why did it take a UK magazine to understand Hollywood Road’s appeal? That should be a wake-up call for Hong Kong’s highly paid officials.

To poke around means to look around in search of something. A wake-up call used this way is a warning to remedy an unsatisfactory situation. Hollywood Road and its surrounding areas is a mix of trendy bars, restaurants, and old and new Hong Kong. It was a slice of heaven in past years for Western tourists who liked antiques, artwork, nightlife, and old Hong Kong. But Hong Kong no longer attracts Western tourists. Hollywood Road is still a slice of heaven for locals to explore old Hong Kong, enjoy the nightlife, and shop for antiques. A slice of heaven is an idiom that describes a beautiful, ideal, or interesting place.

Mainland tourists will probably flood Hollywood Road now that Time Out has praised it. But Hong Kong also needs a return of foreign tourists. Night markets and the government’s plan for monthly fireworks are not creative enough. The government needs to hard-sell Time Out’s praise of Hollywood Road and think of creatively cool ideas to bring back foreign tourists.

香港最后一任港督彭定康，曾说喜欢去荷李活道的古董店与画廊闲逛（poking around）。我对古董一无所知，但多年前还住在中区的服务式住宅时，便常探索荷李活道及附近的旧区。那是殖民统治时，继皇后大道中后第二条建成的道路。总部驻英国的国际杂志《Time Out》就将荷李活道列为今年全球第二最型格街道，仅次于墨尔本的高街。为什么荷李活道的魅力，要远至一本英国杂志才能发掘出来？那应该成为香港高薪厚禄的官员的一些警示（wake-up call）吧。

To poke around是指去四处寻索、翻找一些东西。A wake-up call在这里是指响起了警号，叫人改善某个不如意的状况。荷李活道及其周边的地区，混合了潮流酒吧、餐厅，以至新旧香港。过去那些年头，一直是喜欢古玩、艺术作品、夜生活与旧香港的西方游客的天堂（a slice of heaven）。然而，香港已不再吸引西方游客。荷李活道依然是本地人寻觅旧香港、享受夜生活和买古玩的天堂（a slice of heaven）。A slice of heaven是个成语，用来形容一个美丽、理想或有趣的地方。

现在经过《Time Out》的一番赞誉，大概内地游客也会涌进荷李活道吧。但香港亦需要外地游客的回归。夜市以及政府计划每月一次的烟火，并不够创意。政府需要强行推销《Time Out》对荷李活道的赞赏，以及再想一些更棒的创意点子，以吸引外地游客回来。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻