CHINA: Hong Kong kicks off the Christmas season with dancing girls and a marching band

Christmas may be another six weeks away, but that hasn't stopped Hong Kong from getting into the spirit with fake snow, glittering decorations and dancing girls dressed in red velvet robes. The shopping season kicked off at one of the city's largest shopping malls with a show including a marching band playing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and children dressed in bright green costumes singing to "Gloria". The show also included a group of dancing ladies, who threw off their red velvet robes to perform a jazz dance. Hong Kong is a shopping mecca, with consumer spending a key part of the city's service-driven economy. But with more glitzy malls being built to woo mainland Chinese shoppers, retailers face stiff competition for a slice of the Christmas business. Shopping malls invite famous celebrities to help woo shoppers, and Hong Kong actor Andy Lau was there to boost the atmosphere to a higher level. Lau took to the stage with mainland China actress Xu Jinglei and movie director Peter Chan, amid a swarm of reporters and fans, to celebrate with the crowds and light up fireworks. "Hello I'm Andy Lau. I hope everybody will have a good time at Christmas time. Thank you," said the pop star with cameras flashing around him. Lau, a popular figure in China with an audience spanning from teenagers to housewives, is also a top contender to compose and sing the anthem for next year's Beijing Olympics, a move that could literally put him on the world stage. The Christmas pageant in the shopping district of Tsim Tsa Tsui is just the start of a massive display expected in Hong Kong this year.

ITN Source | November 19, 2007

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