Yellow rubber ducks (one still inflated; one deflated) in a part of the world for which yellow has a special meaning (Photo-essay)

Back in 2013, a giant yellow rubber duck came over to Hong Kong to visit.  For some reason, it didn't capture my fancy.  So, unlike with French artist Paulo Grangeon's 1,600 paper mache pandas installations (which Hong Kong played host to in June 2014), I actually don't have any photos from ten years ago of the "seriously over-sized bath toy" that was Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's creation.  And if truth be told, I hadn't planned on going and snapping photos of the two 18-meter-tall yellow rubber ducks that Florentijin Hofman brought over to Hong Kong this time around.  

 

That is, until I saw photos and videos of one of those giant rubber ducks having deflated in Victoria Harbour earlier today!  Call it schadenfreude.  Or, rather, it was because I saw that it was a super high visibility day which would be conducive to photo taking!  In any case, despite today's high heat (which has been blamed for causing the duck deflation!), I got a massive yearning to go get photos of the yellow rubber ducks this afternoon... and did exactly that! 

 

By the way, one reason why I hadn't been planning on going to "visit" the rubber ducks this time around was because I found it rather strange that the waterfront at Admiralty, right in front of the government offices, had been where they would be "docked".  And I must say that it felt surreal at times to revisit the area one day and four years after marching there with some 1 million other people who were protesting a proposed extradition bill; this not least since there was quite the crowd there, many of them dressed in black and yellow (the two colours that tend to be most associated with pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong) -- even if it's just the case that many Hong Kongers' favourite clothing color -- even in summer! -- is black, and many of those wearing yellow today were doing so in honor of the rubber ducks! 

 

Not protest marchers but folks -- who just happen to have umbrellas

and such -- on their way to see the (remaining) rubber duck!

 

"What happened to my (yellow) friend? Did (s)he stray too close to 

the red line?" (Sorry, but that joke was just waiting to be made!)

 

Deflated rubber duck, still inflated giant rubber duck, and fans!

 

Some people brought their own rubber ducks to take photos of

with the remaining giant rubber duck!

 

Okay, I admit it: the giant yellow rubber duck's pretty photogenic! :)

 

But, okay, I also couldn't resist taking photos of

the deflated rubber duck! ;b

 

Especially if you've been in this area during the Umbrella Movement

and at certain points in 2019, this sight is just so surreal

 

Not the yellowing I expected to see in this part of Hong Kong!  

(That's the Legislative Council complex, in the background!)