“Hong Kong is beautiful, isn’t it?” is a photo series that documents the photographing behaviours of Mainland Chinese tourists visiting the Hong Kong Golden Bauhinia Square.

Over the years, the Golden Bauhinia Square has become a must-see for mainland tour groups. As tour buses drop them off at the square, they flock to take pictures with the golden Bauhinia statue. In the square, a number of unlicensed stalls seize the business opportunity to provide photography services to them, as they hold samples of printed photos and tout tourists for pictures services in front of the statue. Before the camera clicks, stall operators would shout “Hong Kong is beautiful, isn’t it?” in Mandarin. Tourists would reply “Beautiful!” The group is neatly arranged, brightly dressed, and happily posing while holding up a long red banner, as if a hunter is taking a picture with its prey. Photos are then printed to share the joy with their friends and relatives.

Tourists unconsciously fell for these photo taking services, as they are clearly not related about unoriginal framing of their picture. Rather, they are using photography as a means to possess something. Such photographic motive has captured my attention. I started to document the photographing experiences of the “photographers” and their subjects in this bustling space. Occasionally, I would sit on the stairs at the corner of the square and silently observe this massive, collective, and horde-like activity. 

Souvenirs also play a major role in a tourist's travel experience. They are an important medium for creating the brand image and transmitting the culture and history of the place.

Since Hong Kong's handover, it has become quite common to find Golden Bauhinia Statue-themed souvenirs such as nail clippers, microfibre cleaning cloth, and fridge magnets around the city. A lot of these souvenirs seek to display their political history in a fun and engaging way.

These souvenirs are replicated and disseminated in very similar and identical ways. But how should we understand the symbolic relationship between the two entities? Not only do these souvenirs function as a symbol of the tourist's experience in Hong Kong, they also possess symbolic value in representing Hong Kong's prosperity. In addition, when tourists bring these souvenirs home and share them with their friends and relatives, the souvenirs also represent a sense of belonging and even ownership of the land. 

To further reflect and explore how souvenirs define a place, I decided to place these souvenirs into daily life uses, showcasing what it looks like in everyday life.