How CIC rebrands Hong Kong infrastructure as a gift for the public

Hong Kong’s infrastructure is taking centre stage in a roving exhibition that blends AI, IP mascots and STEAM education. The push is part of the large-scale promotional initiative “Hong Kong Infrastructure No. 1” (基建世一), jointly developed by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council (CIC).

The exhibition comes after CIC launched a promotional video featuring Jessica Hsuan and Louis Cheung, designed to showcase the “beauty of infrastructure” in an engaging way.

The second phase of the campaign, the “Infrastructure x Education” roving exhibition, has kicked off at Times Square in Causeway Bay, featuring Hong Kong’s first STEAM-integrated interactive infrastructure map.

Running for 14 days at Times Square’s covered piazza, the exhibition used a game-board-inspired interactive map incorporating Hong Kong’s city layout and 10 landmark infrastructure projects.

Visitors can explore a feature wall themed “Hong Kong Infrastructure – My No.1”, designed around the idea of “gifts from Hongkongers to Hongkongers”. Each “gift box” opens to reveal a local infrastructure breakthrough and the story of how it quietly improves quality of life and drives the city forward.

Unearthing insights

During an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Hanks Lee (pictured), general manager of corporate communications and corporate services, Construction Industry Council, said the roving exhibition adopts an educational approach so people of all ages can discover Hong Kong’s infrastructure in a fun, accessible way.

“We really wanted to use an exhibition format to communicate with the public. And why did we choose a roving exhibition? The thinking behind it—and behind the whole ‘moving’ execution—is the concept of an advent calendar: that infrastructure is a kind of ‘gift’ to the people of Hong Kong,” he said.

In total, the wall spotlights 32 major local infrastructure projects across six categories: bridges, underground facilities, buildings, area development, transport and road/tunnel works. The projects span from the early 20th century to Hong Kong’s future development blueprint, helping the public retrace the evolution of local infrastructure and the industry’s response to social needs over time.

The campaign also aims to challenge the stereotype of infrastructure as “dirty, physically demanding, death and dangerous”, Lee said. “Today, there are many new measures and technologies in place – such as using drones for inspection and analysis, or building projects such as Disneyland with MIC (Modular Integrated Construction) – that reveal a very different side to the industry. We want to convey that modern infrastructure is about making our lives easier and more efficient.”

Unlike a conventional information display, the interactive map is co-created by engineers, architects and education experts across multiple public works departments. Real engineering case studies are transformed into learning content that embeds STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concepts:

• From river revitalisation projects, students learn about ecological conservation
• From new development areas, they explore urban planning concepts
• From cultural and recreational facilities, they experience contemporary aesthetics and design thinking

Visitors can scan QR codes on-site to deep-dive into the stories and innovations behind each project.

The CIC positions “Infrastructure x Education” not just as a one-off event, but as part of a longer-term strategy to integrate infrastructure with education – introducing students and the wider public to construction as a future-ready profession, and reinforcing Hong Kong’s ambition to be an international infrastructure hub.

AI and IP elements

To make infrastructure more social and “Instagrammable”, the exhibition featured a bespoke AI interactive experience throughout April. Visitors who completed a short infrastructure quiz on-site could generate an AI “check-in” photo that blends their portrait with iconic Hong Kong infrastructure scenes and a visual style of their choice – turning complex engineering into a personalised, digital-first experience built for social sharing.

Lee said, “Our view is that, normally, unless you’re really passionate about infrastructure, you wouldn’t just suddenly decide to take a photo with, say, a bridge or a structure. But we want to change that mindset and show that infrastructure can actually look great in photos too."

"So we thought: can we use AI to attract participants? They can give us their photo, and we’ll use AI to composite it with an infrastructure scene, creating a unique image for them and giving them a stronger memory of the experience. By using this kind of fun approach, we hope people can, in a more playful way, interpret what infrastructure really means to us," Lee added.

To extend engagement beyond education and into emotional affinity, the campaign also leans heavily on IP characters and family-friendly gamification.

On-site, visitors were invited to join the “Infrastructure Little Master Challenge” quiz game, inviting parents and children to complete tasks together. Those who succeeded received limited-edition mascot plush toys created by different public works departments, including CEDD’s “Engineering Lion”, Drainage Services Department’s “下水水”, amongst others. 

Looking ahead, CIC is also inviting KOLs and content creators to discover and showcase the beauty of Hong Kong’s infrastructure from fresh perspectives.

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