WARNING!
The following images and/or content may cause
clashing views and opinions of some viewers.
The sole purpose of this post is to allow viewers to follow the situation from our eyes.
Viewer discretion is advised due to content and possible offensive language.
This post is collectively written by Jem and I.
Somewhere between late September and early October, Jem and I went on a vacation to Hong Kong during our study break from school. So being all spontaneous, we booked a flight out of our sunny island...
... to another sunny island.
A more elaborate post for the 'MUST-GO' and 'MUST-EAT' places will materialise in the near future, when we are less busy from school work, quizzes and assignments. For now, it will just be the experiences and the state of demonstrations we witnessed in Hong Kong.
We were there for a week and Jem was able to photograph the contrast before and after the protest was brought to the streets.
Some historical background: Hong Kong has been under the rule of China since 1997 and part of the residents are unhappy with the way they are treated (with regards to voting rights and autonomy).
The following images were taken before the protestors took over the major roads in Hong Kong.
Trolleybus, Hong Kong 2014
Busy streets of Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 2014
Jardine's Crescent, Hong Kong 2014
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 2014
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 2014
Causeway Bay after night fall, Hong Kong 2014
Images shown from here were actual events that took place in Hong Kong during our trip. The people called themselves the 'Umbrella Revolution' and you can spot them distinctively by the umbrellas they used to shelter themselves from the sun and rain (and also tear gas) as they stood on the roads for days and nights.
They occupied the major areas in Hong Kong like Central, Admiralty and Mongkok while a state of negotiations took place with the government. We were fortunate as we did not encounter any violent moments and even spotted many voluntary work and charity taking place at the venues. Many protestors took the initiative to collect rations, sort out recycle materials and trash, and even offering muffins to children.
HK National TV, 1st October, Hong Kong 2014
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 2014
Rubbish?, Hong Kong 2014
It started out with peaceful protestors' rallies...
Residents sharing their opinions, Hong Kong 2014
Then roads were blocked...
Empty streets, Hong Kong 2014
New way of using bins, Hong Kong 2014
Flyovers were left vacant, Hong Kong 2014
Support groups came...
Preparation against tear gas, Hong Kong 2014
Supplies free for all, Hong Kong 2014
Free muffins, Hong Kong 2014
Support headquarters, Hong Kong 2014
Distributing yellow ribbons, Hong Kong 2014
Little girl collecting trash with her mom, Hong Kong 2014
The masses came...
'X' marks the spot to avoid, Hong Kong 2014
Shops were closed, Hong Kong 2014
"Keep cool" service, Hong Kong 2014
Stranded buses, Hong Kong 2014
Peace. Calm., Hong Kong 2014
Medicated patch believed to relief heat, Hong Kong 2014
Media came along...
HK Mafia also came...
Using trucks to block the road, Hong Kong 2014
Tourists came...
At locations that were taken over by protesters you could easily spot umbrellas, food and water supplies, tourists with huge cameras, medias with even larger cameras and not forgetting quotes pasted everywhere.
Protesting messages everywhere, Hong Kong 2014
I <3 HK?, Hong Kong 2014
#OccupyHK, Hong Kong 2014
#OccupyHK, Hong Kong 2014
Apologising for the inconvenience, Hong Kong 2014
Support from elsewhere, Hong Kong 2014
Not forgetting the bulk of the protestors who are students...
Meanwhile, amidst all the commotion and protesting,
we spotted a scene very much like our own Lucky Plaza.
Disclaimer: Our sole purpose was to capture moments we thought were history unfolding in front of us and sharing with it everyone so you guys can feel like you were there with us (without the risk, sweat and sunburn). I thought the HK citizens were very organised in their chaos, if you get what I mean. Takes a lot to organise such rallies peacefully and smoothly. Kudos to them.
Do stay tuned for our more light-hearted (we hope) posts on where to eat and where to go during your stay in Hong Kong and Macau!
All photos belong to Jem Tan and are copyright. Do not repost or share without permission.
xoxo,
G.
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