Chinese Tourists in Hong Kong
In its fourth week, Occupy Hong Kong has lost steam, and bright smiles that were on the young, idealistic faces were displaced by tired, tan eyebrows. The long term has become a slow grind. The crowds have thinned, and those who are still in the streets are not sure how long they should stay there. But as nobody development quite expected, protest camps have become new hot spots for tourists from mainland China to visit, Ogle, and photography with their cell phones.
"We know that people in Hong Kong call us locusts," Mr. Sun said, a visitor to the province of Guangdong. "But we fail to invade the city. We just want to see what it's like here, because it's so different from anywhere else in China."more information
hereRoad are still blocked
The roads are still blocked near the government headquarters in Admiralty in the shopping district of Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and dense, where clashes with the police were rude. Each colorful camp site turned into a small village, each taking on its own character. The camp of the Admiralty, in particular, is packed with protest art, chalk drawings, handwritten notes, homemade posters, and wild brush calligraphy. Office workers have a nice picnic on the empty roads. Occupy Hong Kong has created large pedestrian areas, relieving the normally crowded sidewalks where locals and visitors once collided Brownian particle type.
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hereWestern cultural influence
As a former British colony and the hub of world trade, Western cultural influence is everywhere in the city, and Hong Kong protests took on an international flavor. A popular protest song is "Do you hear the people sing?" From "Les Miserables." Another is a song called "Boundless Oceans vast Skies" by a local group called Beyond, which was formed in the 1980s, influenced by Pink Floyd and British pop music. Signalling on the camp sites is often written in both Chinese and English, and messages have also appeared in Hebrew, Vietnamese, Czech, and many other languages. a massive banner deployed in the famous lyric display Admiralty John Lennon, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." Some not own Hong Kong Lennon Wall, on which thousands of post-it bearing the wishes of Hong Kong. This is exactly the kind of cultural DNA that visitors like Mr. Sun came to Hong Kong for the experience. It's a little Chinese, but different. This is global. It seems outside without warning, self-defense, and coldness that is in the Chinese leadership when they interface with their foreign counterparts. Chinese citizens look to the outside as well, but the relationship is often commercial, not cultural.
Sun and his wife took turns taking pictures of each other in front of Lennon Wall, and then asked one of the college-age demonstrators to take a picture of two of them before the fluorescent post its. He spotted some visitors with sticks Selfie, and wondered if there were sold nearby.
disobedience
Beyond the tourist attraction, a new type of exchange is ongoing. Visitors like Sun never saw civil disobedience practiced in real life. Or by visiting the Admiralty Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, they see that it's not a dirty business. Reasonable people express their dissatisfaction by reasonable means, and it is not always necessary for the riot police to stop the civil rights movement, which is the typical response by officials who govern north of Hong Kong.
One of Hong Kong Occupy criticism is that the protesters destroy the economy of the city, yet Hong Kong stocks have just posted the best monthly gain worldwide. In Hong Kong Occupy creation, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has recorded about 1.1 million visitors to the city, an increase of 4.8 percent compared to the same period of last year.
Attempts to censor news in mainland China on the protests turned against. Many Chinese citizens were not even aware that there was something to do in Hong Kong, so they could not avoid it. Shoppers from mainland China arrived en masse, and obtained the first row of seats to civil disobedience in action. Of course, some ignored the protests, and made their pilgrimages to Apple, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and flagship stores. But many others fell by the campsites for selfies, although gunfire or comments they posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, would later be deleted. Even now, protest sites see a good number of mainland Chinese tourists who stop to read the posters and banners. They take pictures of the information that is displayed for public viewing, and even record videos of teach-ins. Some even ask about why the students are there.
Earlier this week, C. Y. Leung reiterated Beijing's position again: Direct elections are not a possibility. Before a foreign press room, he added that "democracy would see the poorest people dominate the vote of Hong Kong" He was referring to the half of the city who earn less than $ 1,800 per month, as if being poor is a stain on his character and involves an opinion worthless.
With the support of the public in Beijing, Leung seems immune to public approval collapse, although it was revealed that he had received secret payments $ 6.4 million of Australian engineering firm. Much of protest art to the Admiralty revolves around Leung: it is a dog, it's a wolf, is a bloodsucker. But look Lennon Wall and you will find a different tone. Cheap stationery found desks and desk drawers around the world has been used to love letters to the city. Each square is a support rating, respect, adoration.
"When people in the mainland say they love the country, it is always linked to the government, there is always something official about it. But here, "said Sun," they love the city, but do not need to extend it to the government. This is something that is very different from the rest of China. It is pure. " Across China, there are red flags printed with white fonts that say I guo-love your country, be patriotic. Some are hung by individuals who are vying for membership in the Chinese Communist Party. Most of the others are taken by the Publicity Department, formerly known as the Propaganda Department. "I love my country," said Sun, "but I do not need others to tell me to do."
On Tuesday evening, several university student leaders sat down to negotiate with the government of Hong Kong. As many expected, the talks were unproductive, but massive crowds gathered to watch the televised debate on protest sites. Some of those who were in the audience of mainland China, and expressed astonishment that brief the concept of democracy could be debated on television and broadcast for public viewing.
In Admiralty, a student at Hong Kong University, shared a few well worn words. "We will stay until we get what we want," he said. And what Thomas and his cronies want? "For CY Leung to resign, "he replied." And direct elections, "he added later half-time. But when Thomas was pressed on Beijing's position from the first day that Hong Kong will not see the universal suffrage any time soon he was short of words.
Universal suffrage is not accessible to Hong Kong. Beijing does not give him, and Hong Kong's Chief Executive will not ask. In this sense, Occupy Hong Kong was designed to fail. But the movement creates new political leaders. They were in the streets every day, not necessarily squeezing microphones or megaphone, but definitely watch, learn, and do their part. Fifteen or twenty years later, assuming they have not left Hong Kong, assuming they have not been successfully threatened to keep his head down and his mouth shut, and assuming they still feel the urge to initiate change, they should be wiser, smarter, more resourceful. And they'll hit harder than anything the Beijing leaders have ever seen.
It's a win, no matter what happens in the coming weeks
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Many people think that the Orient and China in particular is inexpensive. As a Tour Operator, my clients receive a questionnaire when they return home asking about their tour. One of the questions is: Did you find China More Expensive Less Expensive or About what you thought. 3/4th of them this past year ticked More Expensive. I just returned in late Nov. 2014 from my 55th trip to China. I have seen all the fantastic growth that must be seen and not read about. Prices have increased as their economy has flourished. Some tour operators have cheapened their tours by cutting out some services, using less expensive hotels in not so convenient locations and putting in Buffets rather than sit down and be served meals. As a custom private tour operator I know how to save money and at the same time offer great tours with my Chinese partners. We never cut the quality of our tours and still put our clients in well located hotels where it is easy and safe to be able to walk around in the evenings or day time on free days without worry. There are a wide range of prices in China and one needs to work with a tour operator that knows China and has the connections to obtain the best prices making your tour one to always remember. A bargain tour is not a bargain if you are unhappy and just have to stick it out until you return home. A well planned tour is long remembered after the cost is forgotten. Bargain shopping is still available in some areas but one needs to be aware of the quality too. For more information contact me at interlak@eskimo.com View my web sites at www.interlakechinatours.com and Photo Album at www.picasaweb.google.com/ChinaDave1
