We only stayed a few days in Hong Kong but learned so much in this troubled time that was marked by the many protests taking place.
Hong Kong (19.-24.07.)
As we leave the border building in mainland China it starts to rain and the sky turns into a dark grey. We are still one hour away from Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, the heart of the former British crown colony but the weather fits to what we read in the last couple of days about the recent situation in the special administration area, thanks to our loyal VPN-client and Western media. Something big is happening in Hong Kong and maybe we would be able to understand a little bit more about the background of the protests and understand all the connections.
Of course, Hong Kong is a lot more than the complex situation of a former colony between China and the UK and the existance of even more complicated treaties. Hong Kong is composed of many hilly islands. Only 30% of the territory is populated due to the Geography and this means one thing for the 7 million habitants of the metropolitan area: It is densely populated and places to live are expensive. The first time since being in Bishkek we can go couchsurfing again and we stay with Joy for our first nights. She lives in Sham Shui Po one of Hong Kongs quarters that is perceived as one of the poorer places. There is a lot of tourismus material designed for the quarter showing an uprising quarter of Hong Kong. Joy just moved to her new palce and describes a few of the important features that determined her „cheap“ rent: She lives in the 5th story and there is no elevator, there is no reception or security guard at the door and there is a brothel in the 2nd story – which is almost bankrupt. Her place is around 12 sqm which is bigger than average and „cheap“: Her place is 4900 HKD (Hong Kong Dollar) a month which corresponds to 579 € a month – without electricity and gas!
To store as much stuff as possible many hangers, cupboards and rods are used. Even a foldable couch fits into the apartment, of course manufactured by IKEA. They even have a special sortiment to adapt to the needs of the people in Hong Kong. Many small pieces of furniture can be found there – a lot smaller than compared to those in a German IKEA.
We spent our first day outside of the city on the island Cheung Chau. In Hong Kong many islands are connected by ferries. As soon as we arrived on the small island we walk around a little bit but are surprised by a sudden rainfall and get an involuntary shower. After the rain cleared up we get an impressive view of the city:
The vegetation is quite tropical and we see some ananas-like plants at the side of the path.
The ferry departs at the single town of the small island, that is between water from two sides.
We spent our next days to admire the incredible architecture of the city. Although Hong Kong only ranks seven among the most densely populated cities on our planet, it feels like there is no space for anything left. A few pictures shall try to provided an impression:
The city is densely built at every corner. Wherever one is walking it is in a canyon of skyscrapers or at least huge buildings. Nonetheless there are many parks to have an compensation for that, e.g. the Kowloon Walled City Park. It had been erected after the demolition of the Kowloon Walled City and contains many memories of the informal settlement that stood in its place and was a legal grey area for many years in the middle of Hong Kong.
In addition, many sport grounds are free for public use and directly in the city. They are mostly used of people that sit in the shadow on the stands and observe people passing by.
We meet Mavis (English name) another couchsurfing user and she shows us some nice places. For example the already mentioned quarter Sham Shui Po.
Sham Shui Po wasn’t spared from the cities density. This can be seen from the viewpoint Garden Hill.
Garden Hill is also a good spot to observe the never-ending amount of apartments in Hong Kong.
In the evening we visit Victoria Peak to gain one of the most famous views of Hong Kong.
Another special kind of transport is the double-decker tramway called Ding Ding, due to the sound of its bell. Since 1904 it drives through Hong Kong Island at a very cheap rate.
One day we wanted to take the tramway and normally the waiting time would have been around 5 mintues. After a long waiting periode we noticed a sign saying that traffic stopped due to an unforessen event. We walk to a close metro station and find that tourist can’t stay away from the protests forever as they are a reality at the moment – and they shouldn’t!
The protests ignited because of the planned Extradition Bill of the Governeur Carrie Lam that is known for her closeness to the Communist Party of China in Beijing. It is about the growing influence of the Communist Party of China in the Special Administrative Area that is Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong got assured of special rights until 2047 (because of the territorial return of Hong Kong to China). Hong Kong can be distinguished from China in many aspects, e.g. currency (HKD vs. Yuan); freedom of opinion, speech, press and internet; Chinese language (Cantonese in Hong Kong vs. Mandarin in mainland China) but also openness and mentality of the residents – this is the expression we gained in our short time in China and Hong Kong. Our couchsurfing friend Mavis told us a lot about the backgrounds of the protests and tells us that every person knowing about the faith of people in Hong Kong gives a little faith to the people. We therefore follow this indirect demand.
A picture we didn’t see in the media is that of Lennon-Walls. Here, people can write their concerns and wishes on little post-its and glue them on a wall, so others can read it (such as us). We were able to understand some of the concerns and wishes of people like this, as some wrote theirs in English:
Some citizens even expressed their opinion in an artistic way:
As the media reported there were many collision of the police and protestors. As we withnessed the protest that day we didn’t see a single uniformed policeman. In the evening we read on Twitter, that thugs of the Chinese Triade Mafia went around certain metro stations and started beating up passengers wearing black shirts (the color of the protestors) and the police didn’t interfer. This is only one of many scary news reports that circulates among the citizens that are against the government in Beijing. One of the slogans used by protesters is Hong Kong Be Water! This refers to the behaviour of the protestors: Hard like ice about their demands, flexibel as water when it comes to the protests and voltaile as steam when it comes to the behaviour facing the police and when it gets violent. One of the more recent news is about a Chinese propaganda video by the military showing their tactics against protestors and a statement by a military leader that is about the ensurance of safety in Hong Kong for the sake of the citizens. People need to critically follow on the news (and even Twitter) about what is happening in Hong Kong.
We leave Hong Kong with mixed impressions. Of course we were impressed by the cosmopolitan position of the city. On the other side we have a queasy feeling (especially based on our experiences in China) how life in the city will look like in the future. Can the city stay as dynamic and exciting as it used to be or will it just be a medium-sized Chinese city. We stay in contact with our couchsurfing friends in Hong Kong to be informed and given new insights that aren’t covered by the media.
Just Geography Things 