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Hong Kong’s ‘Umbrella Square’ one month on: how are protesters living? | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Almost as soon as I arrived at the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters’ main encampment earlier this month, a young man in a black T-shirt tapped me on the shoulder, smiled, and handed me a bottle of water. “If you’re thirsty,” he said, and walked away. | Almost as soon as I arrived at the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters’ main encampment earlier this month, a young man in a black T-shirt tapped me on the shoulder, smiled, and handed me a bottle of water. “If you’re thirsty,” he said, and walked away. |
Thus is daily life in Umbrella Square, a sprawl of hundreds of variegated tents beneath a forest of skyscrapers on Gloucester and Harcourt roads, two of the city’s most important thoroughfares. | Thus is daily life in Umbrella Square, a sprawl of hundreds of variegated tents beneath a forest of skyscrapers on Gloucester and Harcourt roads, two of the city’s most important thoroughfares. |
Since 28 September, when protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from police volleys of tear gas and pepper spray, the swath of highway has evolved into a high-functioning utopian collective blocked off by a handful of elaborate barricades. Volunteers hand out donated biscuits, coffee toilet paper, face masks and bottled water from well-stocked supply stands along the thoroughfare. Nearby public toilets are equipped with heaps of soap, toothpaste, and shampoo/conditioner combos. Some tents are privately owned; others are available to rent. Protesters compost their banana peels, let them ferment, and use the resulting vinegar as a cleaning agent. | Since 28 September, when protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from police volleys of tear gas and pepper spray, the swath of highway has evolved into a high-functioning utopian collective blocked off by a handful of elaborate barricades. Volunteers hand out donated biscuits, coffee toilet paper, face masks and bottled water from well-stocked supply stands along the thoroughfare. Nearby public toilets are equipped with heaps of soap, toothpaste, and shampoo/conditioner combos. Some tents are privately owned; others are available to rent. Protesters compost their banana peels, let them ferment, and use the resulting vinegar as a cleaning agent. |
Step into the protest zone via jerry-rigged stairs crossing over the highway divider, and the overwhelming feeling is one of entering an art fair, or a music festival – protesters sit on the pavement cross-legged, strumming guitars and checking their smartphones. During the day, tourists amble through the crowd, snapping photos with SLR cameras; at night, hundreds, sometimes thousands of supporters gather to hear speeches and performances. | Step into the protest zone via jerry-rigged stairs crossing over the highway divider, and the overwhelming feeling is one of entering an art fair, or a music festival – protesters sit on the pavement cross-legged, strumming guitars and checking their smartphones. During the day, tourists amble through the crowd, snapping photos with SLR cameras; at night, hundreds, sometimes thousands of supporters gather to hear speeches and performances. |
Many protesters have homes nearby and full-time jobs; they come and go as they please. Others spend their days at the site, contributing to a vast mosaic of sculptures, posters and banners reiterating the protesters’ demands for a more democratic electoral system. | Many protesters have homes nearby and full-time jobs; they come and go as they please. Others spend their days at the site, contributing to a vast mosaic of sculptures, posters and banners reiterating the protesters’ demands for a more democratic electoral system. |
Most surprising are the rhythms of normal life that survive in the square – the occasional business-suited tent-dweller, or the dozens of students hunched over geometry textbooks at a “study corner” beneath a makeshift tent running along the highway divider. Rows of lamps burn into the night, powered by a donated generator. Volunteer tutors offer help with English and maths. WiFi is available. | Most surprising are the rhythms of normal life that survive in the square – the occasional business-suited tent-dweller, or the dozens of students hunched over geometry textbooks at a “study corner” beneath a makeshift tent running along the highway divider. Rows of lamps burn into the night, powered by a donated generator. Volunteer tutors offer help with English and maths. WiFi is available. |
“We’re waiting for real elections — and we’re going to fight until we get them,” Christie Wong, a 23-year-old volunteer at the study corner, told me early last week. “We can’t just give up — if we leave now, we might never get another chance.” | “We’re waiting for real elections — and we’re going to fight until we get them,” Christie Wong, a 23-year-old volunteer at the study corner, told me early last week. “We can’t just give up — if we leave now, we might never get another chance.” |
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