Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Funny warning signs!


Talk about a graphic sign!

And if the first wasn't graphic enough for you...! ;D

Last Sunday, while hiking along the Yuen Tsuen Ancient Trail (listed in guidebooks as being 12.5km in length but if you count the distance to get to its starting point from the nearest bus stop and from its endpoint to a mini bus stop, it's a total of 15km!), I came across the flash flood warning sign pictured above that caused me -- and a few fellow hikers -- to double up with laughter. One day later, while looking at which photos taken during my hike from Ngong Ping downhill towards Tung Chung to include in a photo-essay, I came across a landslide danger sign that I must admit to having being amused by, only to save putting it up for another day.

Well, here's figuring that today is as good as any other to be that day! And while I do so, here's also going ahead and suggesting that there genuinely is humor to be found not only in signs that mangle the English language or those that point to the existence of different perspectives on how to lead life but, also, those that seem designed, in all seriousness, to really get messages across to people -- by being in not only one but two different languages and coming complete with expressive pictorials that appear to be designed to be understood by those who can't read either Chinese or English.

Maybe next up at some point: Hong Kong signs with surprisingly cute graphics... And no, I don't just mean those that prominently feature Hello Kitty (like the MTR poster and stickers) either! Wanna see them? I sure hope so since, as it so happens, I've been "collecting" photos of them also... ;b

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those signs are so funny! I'm amused that the landslide one has the people running with what looks to be a suitcase.

Thanks for sharing these. And I look forward to seeing your cute signs, too!

sarah bailey knight said...

ytsl,

Ha ha -the signs do get their point across don't they.

Cute graphics!$%# Do they include any with a very cute pink pig with a brown circle around his right eye???

YTSL said...

Hi Alejna --

Thanks for sharing my sense of humor... I know those who designed the signs and had them put up meant for them to be taking seriously but... and yeah, that suitcase is the icing on the cake, methinks! ;D

Hi sbk --

Another person who shares my sense of humor! But, sorry, the signs with cute graphics I've "collected" don't include any with that particular pig or the rest of his menagerie... at least not yet. :b