Hong Kong used to be called the Pearl of the Orient. We were happy with that label and felt it did justice to the achievements we had worked so hard to accomplish.

Then, other cities in the neighborhood began to promote themselves with catchy slogans and fancy branding. Our tourism officials quickly sprung into action and got us deep into a costly re-branding game with ever changing themes.

Right from the start, Pearl of the Orient was summarily discarded from all official promotion materials. It was considered by our branding experts to be obsolete, giving people the "wrong" impression that Hong Kong had remained a seaport of colonial charm and mercantile excesses.