‘Sawadeekowloon’: mural celebrates Thai culture in Hong Kong under renovation scheme

Seven murals celebrating the Thai and Chiu Chow heritage of Hong Kong’s Kowloon City will be erected in the district known for its ethnic Thai population and traditional stores under a public scheme to encourage building renovations in the area.The first on Jenford Building has been completed on South Wall Road in the heart of the city’s “Little Thailand”, featuring a purple cartoon elephant dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt, grinning with its trunk lifted as if greeting passers-by.Against a vibrant yellow background, smiley emojis amplify its joy while pink lotuses float above the monochrome street below.“I’m happy with the mural. It looks so lively and energetic, the colours look great,” Wong Siu-yung, chairwoman of the Jenford Building incorporated owners’ committee, said.Jenford Building is one of the blocks under the Urban Renewal Authority’s district-based building rehabilitation pilot scheme. Under the scheme, the authority subsidises renovation works and pays for beautification works on the exterior.Wong said she wanted the Jenford mural’s theme to centre on Thai culture, as the building was surrounded by Thai restaurants and grocery stores along South Wall Road. Her only request was for the artists not to depict ferocious beasts, such as tigers, on the mural.