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