Sunday, November 2, 2014

Into the sixth week of protests here in Hong Kong (Photo-essay)

The protests in Hong Kong have entered their sixth week.  This is quite the feat for a movement that few envisioned would last for more than a week, or even a couple of days.  Still, few members of the Umbrella Movement are celebrating at this point -- this not least because none of its explicitly stated goals have yet to be achieved.

Also, those of us with memories of the summer of 1989 have not forgotten that six weeks of peaceful protests in Beijing ended with the Tiananmen Square massacre.  So even while the atmosphere at the likes of Admiralty this weekend generally seemed on the relaxed side, I hope that people there don't let their guard down completely.  

At the same time though, I do hope as well that people will be unafraid to do such as (continue to) be there to bear witness to Umbrella Movement-inspired creative efforts, the messages that people seek to convey, and the fact of the protest areas remaining very much "occupied" -- as I'm hereby recording for posterity:-

A reminder spotted at Admiralty this afternoon of why 
people are out there -- and have been for six weeks now

 Tents on the road have become a sight that 
seems normal to the likes of me now

The Occupation of Lion Rock commemorated artistically
on the side of one of the tents pitched at Admiralty

And should there be any doubt, yes, the tents are 
occupied -- and there also still are people 
sleeping on the bare street in the protest areas!

 Tents, not just umbrellas, figure on the designs
of Umbrella Movement posters now

 An umbrella, Lion Rock, the famous "I want 
real universal suffrage" banner and Totoro
cleverly combined to make a cool protest poster

 Seen for the first time this afternoon :)

 Each time I see this image (which I first spotted 
a couple of weeks ago), I think the artwork and 
its message are really beautiful

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

And now, Protesters are living in the Streets of HK... Neat idea, for the thousands (or millions?) who also cannot afford the blood-thirsty prices of HK real-estate cartel. Why protest, when you can live for free in city streets...

nulle said...

I got a better idea:

just bus them up to Zhongnanhai or have them lounge at the Office of HK and Macau affairs or the DAB offices city-wide?

YTSL said...

Hi Anonymous --

In case you're not being sarcastic: because people don't actually want to live on the streets -- free or not, and temporarily or not.

Hi nulle --

How about you practice what you preach?

sarah bailey knight said...

Hi ytsl,

I am enjoying your posts about Occupy Hong Kong. I especially like the photos you take of the different signs, the colorful tents in major roads and how "low key" some folks seem to be.

YTSL said...

Hi sarah sbk --

Thanks for appreciating the photos I've put up of Occupy Hong Kong/the Umbrella Movement. And yes, some of the protest is down in a pretty "low key" (and ultra non-violent) way. :)