Celebrating the 40th anniversary of country parks:
Four iconic advertisements from the past four decades
Hong Kong’s country parks first came to be in 1977, which means this year, they are turning 40. To celebrate, TrailWatch challenged its users to hike Hong Kong’s four long-distance trails and invited them to participate in an official tree planting activity. Our country parks are covered by the tracks of our generation—and perhaps even that of the generations before ours—forming an important part of 40 years’ worth of collective memory.
Join us on a trip down memory lane: check out these country park advertisements from the days of our youth.
1. (1983) Respect Your Countryside, Keep It Beautiful
The 1983 TV ad by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) features the crowd favourite 〈我愛大自然〉by Canto pop legend Alan Tam as its background music. You can tell from the ad that barbecues and group sports were popular pastimes back then. Shing Mun, Lion Rock and Sai Kung East were the first zones to be named country park areas, which could explain why the producers selected the Shing Mun Reservoir, Pineapple Dam Nature Trail and Sheung Yiu Country Trail as filming locations. The AFCD’s ad was designed to educate Hongkongers on basic hiking etiquette, such as keeping vegetation intact, and showing respect for wild animals.
2. (1986) Care for your country parks (song)
The song for this 1986 ad was composed exclusively for Hong Kong’s country parks and performed by a group of children with the intention of reminding hikers to dispose of their rubbish in bins situated within the country parks, keep park areas free of smoke and damage, and to head to the parks on weekends.
3. (2000s) Prevent Hill Fires Enjoy Hiking
“Compass? Got it! Map? Got it! I've also brought my mobile phone, just in case.” This well-known conversation happened on TV long before Google Maps or TrailWatch were born. When hiking, you need more than just an experienced hiker: the ad also reminded hikers to bring everything they needed and to stay calm and call for help in the event of emergencies, such as hill fires.
4. (2016) Take Your Litter Home
The latest country park ad has evolved into a “Take Your Litter Home” campaign, which is a step up from the government’s call for hikers to dispose of their rubbish in bins, and discourages habits that are harmful to wildlife. Waste reduction at source is an underlying theme, with authorities encouraging hikers to bring their own water and towels to reduce the production of waste. These messages reflect the evolution of Hongkongers’ love and appreciation for the environment.
All four advertisements reflect one thing: Hongkongers and their country parks are inseparable. We at TrailWatch hope that this special 40% of our land will always remain protected, so we can all continue to find joy in our country parks.