This city never slept. Sleepy China: the party's overSleepy China: the city that never slept has ended its party with the strengthening of China.

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Hong Kong

As scattered visitors move from one deserted bar to another, it's hard to believe that these almost empty streets they rush across were once among the busiest in Asia. It's Thursday evening, usually a lively time, but there are no crowds to push through, no revelers on the sidewalks, and no need to wait for a table. At some stops along this quiet bar route, they find themselves the only ones in the room.

Things used to be different. It may seem unbelievable according to the latest snapshot, but Hong Kong was once one of the leading nightlife centers in Asia, known for its nightclubs and vibrant neon lights, where East met West, and crowds spilled out of bars all night long, even into the early morning—on weekdays too. Such images were broadcast around the world in 1997 when Britain handed over sovereignty of its precious colony to China, and locals and visitors welcomed a new era with a 12-hour party featuring Boy George, Grace Jones, Pete Tong, and Paul Oakenfold. The Chinese message at the time was that even if changes were coming to Hong Kong, its "anything goes" spirit would remain intact. The city was promised a high degree of autonomy for the next 50 years, and it was assured that its Western traditions could continue. Or, as the then-leader of China, Deng Xiaoping, put it: "The horses will still run, the stocks will still be grabbed, and the dancers will still dance." And for a long time after the British left, the dancing indeed continued. Hong Kong retained not only the spirit of capitalism but also many other freedoms unknown in the rest of China—not just gambling on horse races, as Deng mentioned, but also political press freedoms, freedom of speech, and the right to protest. Even demands for greater democracy were tolerated—at least for a while.

But not long before the halfway mark of these 50 years of promises, Dan lost his significance for many. Outbursts of mass protests—against the "patriotic education" legislation in 2012, the Occupy Central movement in 2014, and the pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019—led China to restrict civil liberties through a comprehensive national security law. Since then, hundreds of pro-democracy supporters have been imprisoned, and tens of thousands of residents have left. This oppression and the vanishing freedoms of Hong Kong are well documented, but only recently has a less known side effect of the Chinese campaign begun to emerge: on the streets and in bars, trendy clubs, and Michelin-starred restaurants, the city that never sleeps has started to gradually fall asleep.

The nightlife in the city has turned into a pale shadow of its heyday, when its reputation was based on being more accessible than Japan, less boring than Singapore, and freer than the mainland of China. Now, evidently, along with the reduction of political freedoms, business in the bars of this once-thriving city is declining. And while some argue about who is to blame - politics or Covid - no one disputes that action needs to be taken.

Official sources indicate that bars earned about 88.9 million dollars in the first half of 2023, which is 18% less than the 108.5 million dollars earned during the same period in 2019.

In an effort to stop the decline, the Hong Kong government launched the "Night Vibes" campaign with markets in three coastal areas, spent millions of dollars on a fireworks show in honor of China's National Day, and reintroduced the dragon dance illuminated by incense sticks in the Tai Hang area.

These efforts have sparked mixed criticism and ridicule, with many pointing out the irony of opening the campaign ceremony with two white lions, the color of which is associated with funerals in Chinese culture. Nevertheless, representatives of the Hong Kong government claim that they were "fluorescent."

A representative of the Hong Kong government told CNN this week that the events were "well received by local residents and tourists." The recent Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival attracted 140,000 visitors, and shopping malls supporting the "Night Vibes" campaign reported seeing "an increase in foot traffic and sales," he added.

There are those who blame only Covid. "It's obvious that things are worse now than before. This is a side effect of Covid, which has changed our way of life," said Gary Ng, an economist at the French investment bank Natixis. And few dispute that Covid has affected nightlife. During the pandemic, Hong Kong adopted a "zero tolerance" approach to Covid, similar to mainland China, which led to a mass exodus of expats, many of whom moved to other Asian cities like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan.

However, others say that Hong Kong is in a state of denial and that the problems with its nightlife run much deeper than just the pandemic.

Whether due to Covid or oppression, or a combination of both, there has been an outflow of the middle class of Hong Kong residents and wealthy expats in recent years. Last year, the city experienced a net outflow of 60,000 residents, marking the third consecutive decline, and the number of permanent residents fell to 7.19 million by the end of 2022, down nearly 144,000 from the end of 2020. Tens of thousands of them are Hongkongers who have received special visas and pathways to citizenship offered by Western countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia due to oppression from China. However, there is also a gradual departure of expats, who, like those suffering from post-colonial hangover, remained in the city after Britain left. These are mainly professionals in finance and law, known for their work ethic and ability to have a good time regardless of politics.

Local media is currently filled with reports that banks and law firms are relocating their offices, either partially or completely, to competing financial centers, such as no longer boring Singapore. Unfortunately for bar and restaurant owners, two departing demographic groups are among their largest clients. "Expats have moved, as well as higher-income (Hongkongers). Their departure will certainly have an impact," said Ng from Natixis. Increasingly, these two groups are being replaced by people from mainland China, who now make up over 70% of the 103,000 work or graduate visas issued since 2022, according to the Department.