Chief Executive John Lee visited a Lunar New Year fair in Kwun Tong on Monday, greeting passersby and stall owners.

He spent more than HK$1,000 on fortune flowers and plants, including HK$800 on two pots of orchids.

Lee spoke to stall owners about how they were doing, and students about their new year wishes and what subjects they liked most at school.

He also wished a family a nice Lunar New Year's Eve reunion dinner, adding that the Hong Kong economy and people's livelihoods would get better and better.

The chief executive took a picture with some secondary school students running a stall, saying they represented hope for the future.

"I made a special trip here to Kwun Tong to check out this area's Lunar New Year atmosphere," Lee told reporters after visiting the fair.

"I want to wish everyone in Hong Kong boundless energy in the Year of the Horse. That you take the lead like a horse, and that success and good fortune may come swiftly."

Lee said his visit reminded him of happy childhood memories of spending time at fairs with his family.

During the visit, the chief executive was flanked by home affairs chief Alice Mak and Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan.

Tse, who oversees the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said the public fairs across Hong Kong have been doing well so far this year.

He noted that for the first five days of their operation, visitor figures exceeded 1.9 million, a rise of nearly 20 percent year-on-year.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden