In any large community, people can always find some form of entertainment. In Hong Kong, film screenings began early in the 1900s, and by the 1960s and ’70s the number of theatres had grown to over 100*. Golden Valley in Sau Mau Ping was one of the largest cinemas, and its opening in 1978 was graced by a star-studded line-up including Jason Pai Piao, Helen Poon, Ai Fei, Liu Suk Yee, and Fanny Wang.
Kwan Tat Kuen, Norman, a local resident who grew up in Sau Mau Ping, says that visiting Golden Valley was what he most looked forward to as a child. Cinemas in the 1970s, he recalls, were as bustling as a market.

“Outside, hawkers sold sugar cane, fish balls, and roasted chestnuts. I used to get an entire sugar cane stalk for the film,” he remembers. He has vivid memories of the movie nights but not of the films themselves. “I didn’t understand films as a kid,” he chuckles. “Eating and playing there was more fun.”

Large theatres like Golden Valley were mostly single-block buildings that could accommodate more than 1,000 people. Seats were divided into stalls (front, middle and back), and a dress circle with ticket prices ranging from HK$10 to HK$20. “We went to the movies every few months, when we had managed to save enough money,” recalls Kwan, who describes theatre-going for a family of six as a luxury and Golden Valley as a sumptuous landmark. “Walk up the stairs and there’s a chandelier. It was uniquely stunning in the entire Sau Mau Ping and Kwun Tong areas.”