Chengdu to get a version of Hong Kong nightlife

Allan Zeman, the founder of one of Hong Kong's most popular nightlife hubs, said Monday he is setting up a similar district in the mainland Chinese city of Chengdu.

The Hong Kong entrepreneur has bought a riverside neighbourhood in Jinjiang, the business district of the fast-growing capital of Sichuan province, and is now signing up restaurants, bars and shops to fill it.

Unlike Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong, which draws a mainly expatriate crowd, the Chengdu version, due to open in March, will target newly moneyed locals.

"I was blown away by what was going on in the city, which is a hub of activity," Zeman told AFP.

"And unlike in Shanghai and Beijing, the people in Chengdu work hard but they also tend to enjoy themselves in a more relaxed way."

Zeman declined to say how much he had paid for the area, which at 43,000 square metres (462,848 square feet) is about 18 times bigger than Lan Kwai Fong.

Zeman, dubbed the "Father of Lan Kwai Fong" by Hong Kong media, said a flow of government reconstruction money after the Sichuan earthquake last year was boosting the local economy.

Initially reluctant when approached with the idea by the Jinjiang district government, Zeman said he was impressed by Chengdu's bustling restaurant and bar scene when he visited the city after the Beijing Olympics last year.

Brighter economic growth prospects in mainland China than in Hong Kong also convinced him to take on the project, Zeman said.

"I believe China is the future," he added.

Chengdu, with a population of more than 10 million, is seen as a gateway to western China and an IT and financial services hub.

Regulars of the original Lan Kwai Fong will find some of their old favourites in Chengdu, including branches of restaurants California and Baci Pizza, Zeman said.