Background of Pawn Shops

Half a century ago, many Hong Kong citizens were poor. When they faced economic difficulties, they might get some valuable items to exchange for cash in pawn shops to solve their financial problems. They received redeem receipts after the exchange and could pay higher prices to redeem the objects back with the receipt within a time period.

In the last few decades, Hong Kong is becoming more prosperous. The demand for pawn shops is much lower than before, leading to a sharp reduction in the number of pawn shops. Therefore, their iconic irregular illuminated signs, which are memorable for most Hong Kong people, are also endangered and should be preserved with extra effort.