At first glance, there seems to be little indication that
The Lennon Wall now is bare but near it,
green Umbrella Movement art blooms
...and "angry Totoro" hangs (out) near a new
"democracy library" and sitting out area for visitors
There's no longer a protest area right by Citic Tower but
there's one close enough to be reflected in the building's windows!
There may not be any tents and protesters on the streets of Admiralty any more but don't think that there still aren't any tents and protesters to be found in the area. And each time I've visited the area near the still-closed off Civic Square in the past two months or so, I've seen people keeping the Umbrella Movement alive.
The detractors may scoff at how few people remain camped at Admiralty -- and that they are "only" occupying the sidewalks near the Legislative Council Building rather than the nearby streets, like was the case between September 28th and December 11th last year. But as actions such as those which took place at Tuen Mun on February 8th, Sha Tin on February 16th, and Lion Rock last Sunday (February 22) show, protests are taking place in different parts of Hong Kong-- and in more than one way too.
On a personal note, I received news earlier this week that I'm now a registered voter in Hong Kong (to go with my having permanent residency here). Thank you, Umbrella Movement, for making an active protester and now also voter out of me! And thank you for making me feel encouraged -- and obliged -- to add my voice to those of the other Hong Kongers who don't want Hong Kong to become "just another Chinese city" and believe that the best way to ensure that this is so is by having a government that feels accountable to the majority rather minority of people living here.
2 comments:
Hi YTSL,
This is an informative photo-essay which gives this HK watcher from afar an idea of what is happening at street level...Top photo: for anyone who witnessed the 2014 protests, the streets of Admiralty must still resound with the sounds of those events...The photo of the plants, as a symbol of growth, seems so appropiate, as is the photo of the "democracy library."...Let's hope that history records future attempts at reform as being persistent, but peaceful, achieving change incrementally, avoiding radicalism and violence or, as Buddhists might refer to it, as taking the Middle Way, the path of moderation.
On the subject of HK history, I'm reading a book I had to wait months to get. City of Darkness Revisited (2014), by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot, is a revised edition of a classic book of photos and essays on the Walled City of Kowloon. I was fortunate enough to visit the Walled City twice in the past. They were quick cautious walks through the interior, but they were enough to leave a lasting impression on me...Favorite movie with scenes filmed in the Walled City: Long Arm of the Law (1984).
Bill
Hi Bill --
I wish I could be as optimistic as you about the future of Hong Kong. For me, some of what I see is disturbing. At the same time, I still have hope -- not least because there are people still out there voicing their support for the Umbrella Movement and what it represents.
Re the Kowloon Walled City: wow re your having visited there twice. I'm envious! :)
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