The vanishing language of light: Neon signs fade into memory
Published: 29 May. 2025, 00:03
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
Ko Jae-hyun
The author is a professor at the School of Semiconductor and Display Engineering, Hallym University.
Once a defining feature of East Asian cityscapes and the atmospheric backdrop of countless Hong Kong films, neon signs are gradually disappearing. News of their removal from Hong Kong’s streets, where they once radiated vibrant hues across the night, underscores the fading of an era. These gas lamps, with their soft glow and retro charm, were more than just advertisements — they became cultural emblems and visual shorthand for the modern urban experience.
![Neon signs are displayed on a street in Hong Kong on Jan. 10, 2025. [AFP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/29/dd7e3e29-8060-49e9-99d4-e91c763a38b0.jpg)
In films such as “Blade Runner", neon signs helped construct the imagined aesthetic of future cities. Some scholars have even interpreted the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo as reflections of East Asia’s compressed modernization — symbols of both industrial triumph and personal alienation beneath neon’s artificial twilight.
Neon signs operate through a simple, yet elegant, mechanism. Glass tubes are filled with noble gases such as neon or argon. When high voltage is applied, the gas becomes ionized, emitting light according to each element’s unique energy levels. Neon, which lends its name to the medium, glows red-orange. Other gases, like argon and helium, produce different colors, allowing for a rich palette. Although neon signs were commercialized in the 1920s, the scientific understanding of gas discharge lighting dates back to the 17th century.
In their prime, neon signs conveyed a striking visual intensity — bright colors emerging from deep darkness — that mirrored both the vibrancy and solitude of urban life. That aesthetic is slowly vanishing. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, more efficient and adaptable, has become the dominant technology of the 21st century. Unlike neon, which requires fragile glass tubes and specific gases, LEDs offer flexible formats, lower energy consumption and a broader range of applications.
As a former researcher in plasma display technology, I recall vividly the electric pulse of ionized mercury gas moving through glass tubes. The blue-green glow produced by this process had a visceral vitality — an animated presence that mere LEDs often lack. It was more than light; it was expression.
![A man hangs laundry next to a lit neon sign outside the window of his flat in Hong Kong on Nov. 18, 2024. [AFP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/29/730bb124-46b2-4aa7-8346-b83fa3c6c50c.jpg)
Much like the way fluorescent lights gained recognition as contemporary art through the works of Dan Flavin, neon deserves a place not only in design history, but also as part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Preserving the visual and emotional legacy of neon is not just a matter of nostalgia. It is an acknowledgment of a unique convergence of science, technology and urban artistry.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
The author is a professor at the School of Semiconductor and Display Engineering, Hallym University.
Once a defining feature of East Asian cityscapes and the atmospheric backdrop of countless Hong Kong films, neon signs are gradually disappearing. News of their removal from Hong Kong’s streets, where they once radiated vibrant hues across the night, underscores the fading of an era. These gas lamps, with their soft glow and retro charm, were more than just advertisements — they became cultural emblems and visual shorthand for the modern urban experience.
Neon signs are displayed on a street in Hong Kong on Jan. 10, 2025. [AFP/YONHAP]
Neon signs operate through a simple, yet elegant, mechanism. Glass tubes are filled with noble gases such as neon or argon. When high voltage is applied, the gas becomes ionized, emitting light according to each element’s unique energy levels. Neon, which lends its name to the medium, glows red-orange. Other gases, like argon and helium, produce different colors, allowing for a rich palette. Although neon signs were commercialized in the 1920s, the scientific understanding of gas discharge lighting dates back to the 17th century.
In their prime, neon signs conveyed a striking visual intensity — bright colors emerging from deep darkness — that mirrored both the vibrancy and solitude of urban life. That aesthetic is slowly vanishing. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, more efficient and adaptable, has become the dominant technology of the 21st century. Unlike neon, which requires fragile glass tubes and specific gases, LEDs offer flexible formats, lower energy consumption and a broader range of applications.
As a former researcher in plasma display technology, I recall vividly the electric pulse of ionized mercury gas moving through glass tubes. The blue-green glow produced by this process had a visceral vitality — an animated presence that mere LEDs often lack. It was more than light; it was expression.
A man hangs laundry next to a lit neon sign outside the window of his flat in Hong Kong on Nov. 18, 2024. [AFP/YONHAP]
Much like the way fluorescent lights gained recognition as contemporary art through the works of Dan Flavin, neon deserves a place not only in design history, but also as part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Preserving the visual and emotional legacy of neon is not just a matter of nostalgia. It is an acknowledgment of a unique convergence of science, technology and urban artistry.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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