Imagine Hong Kong without neon signs. I am loath to do that because, like many Hong Kong natives, I have grown accustomed to neon lights. They are part of our, well, collective memories.

Now, the government is getting serious about ridding Hong Kong of "illegal" structures, neon signs included. Of course, there is no logical ground to argue against this policy. But a wholesale pulling down of neon signs would really give us all heartaches.

In the name of progress, we have already lost our neighborhood stores. And yes, the cooked food stalls, or dai pai dong, have gone the way of the dodos. It seems that cha chaang tang will soon become an endangered urban species, with their habitat randomly destroyed by greedy landlords and marauding developers.

With the majority of the population living in high-rise housing estates, there is not much street life to speak of in Hong Kong. When I was a kid in Hong Kong, I was fascinated by the many street vendors hawking preserved olives, ice cream, candy crepes and, yes, wonton noodle soup.

If you needed your kitchen knives sharpened, there was a guy who came around the neighborhood everyday at the same time like clockwork to do it for you for 20 cents.

The owner of the grocery store down the street sometimes treated me to candies or ice lollipops when he saw me walking past. Years later, I learned the he actually billed my mother for those treats at the end of the month together with the grocery she bought.

Indeed, we miss all those faces and places. But none of that would sadden us more than taking away our neon light signs. Agreed, some of them are decidedly gaudy. Others are so inept that they have become the butt of many jokes. But by and large, these brash, brightly-lit and in-your-face aggressive signs are a statement of our exclusiveness. They are unique to Hong Kong and they help define us as a people that are different from those in most other cities in the region.

What's more, those many neon light signs, when all lit up at night, lend us a sense of joy and hope. In these times of uncertainty, marked by rising social tension, widening political discord and deepening economic self-doubt, there is nothing better than a sea of bright, colorful and diverse neon light signs to remind us that the party is far from over.

Walking out of a theater in Mong Kok after watching a late movie, we were thrilled by the dazzling lights of the many signs on the street. Instead of hopping on the minibus heading home, we loitered on the street for a while before having a late dinner at one of the eateries.

I am sure many neon light signs were put up with little regard to the building rules and regulations. Some of them may even be a hazard to the safety of the pedestrians on the street, although it's not known how many people actually got hurt by falling signs. No sensible citizen can object rationally to the vigorous enforcement of the building law that applies to signs.

But we wonder if the relevant authorities have explored alternatives that can help improve the safety of those signs without having to tear them down. There are other ways to light up a sign. But nothing can beat the magic of neon. I am sure those who, like me, still hold on to their collections of vinyl discs and keep their film cameras will agree.

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 08/31/2013 page6)