It was with a small amount of trepidation that I approached my time in Hong Kong. After hearing of the very large pro-democracy demonstrations before my trip to Mongolia, I was uncertain about conditions there. As my hotel was a few miles away from the site of the events, and as the news suggested they were on the decline, I decided that I would proceed with my plans, even if it meant that I did nothing other than hole up in my hotel.
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| Victoria Peak and Hong Kong skyline from Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park |
Happily, I was able to venture out with no disruption to my sense of safety, other than the intense heat and humidity which resulted in a great deal of tiredness at the end of each day.
There was no denying I was in Asia.
There were still sights that are not customary in our cities.
But sadly old neighborhoods have been swallowed up by the pressures of the most expensive real estate in the world. It doesn't rank in charts of highest population density countries, because since the British handover in 1997, it is actually a semi-autonomous region in China. If it stood on it's own, it would rank as 2nd or 3rd in the world according to the World Population Review http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/hong-kong-population/.
The handover has created enormous grief and uncertainty. I saw this lone British Union Jack 'flag waver' walking through a park near the area where the current phase of demonstrations had been focused - an area called Central.
I was told that the demonstrators generally come out only on Sundays, limiting themselves to one day a week, but as I traveled around, most stations and other public areas had 'Lennon Walls' - a dense collection of post-it notes that relayed people's sentiments about the situation, mostly written in Chinese. They were first started here in 2014 during the round of protests now known as the Umbrella Movement. The one nearest my hotel was cleared off each morning and by the end of the day was full again.
I also saw some hunger strikers at Central.
As I was returning back to my hotel late Sunday night, I was surprised to see that the demonstrators were still out. As I put my phone over the railing to take this photo, people yelled at me - 'No photo'. Perhaps it was the police who called out, perhaps the protesters not wanting face recognition technology to identify them (many were wearing masks) or perhaps they want tourists to not be put off in their plans to come here. Mind you, I heeded the request, quickly moved through the area and so this is my only image.
In order to understand the situation better, I took a walking tour through the Central area with Hong Kong Free Walking Tours. We learned of the premise by which Hong Kong is operating - 'one country, two systems', which the Chinese government agreed to until it sunsets in 2047. We walked through the central Government Complex of HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region). We were told the open structure is a feng shui design which is supposed to represent an invitation to have the people involved in government. The current protests suggest the people are not 'feeling' it. The low building to the left is the Legislative Council Complex.
Hong Kong does not have a mayor or president, but instead has a Chief Executive - very corporate title. Currently the position is held by Carrie Lam, who is very unpopular. This is her office. See how well it is cordoned off! The current round of protests was sparked by the government handling of a situation after a young man from Hong Kong killed his girlfriend in Taiwan in April this year. The problem for the government arose because there were no existing extradition treaties with Taiwan to have him sent back there for justice to be served. Instead of handling this isolated case, they set about establishing extradition treaties with all nearby countries, including China. As our tour guide pointed out, this would allow China to come in and arrest people like him who speak openly about the current issues.
Although Carrie Lam has set the plans for the extradition treaty with China aside, no commitment has been made that takes it off the table for the future. Other reasons for concern were explained in relation to the Court of Final Appeal, pictured above. It is the Hong Kong equivalent of our Supreme Court, but now they have to send the rulings to China for legal 'interpretation'. Five times to date, China has overruled decisions made by this court. https://qz.com/828713/a-brief-history-beijings-interpretations-of-hong-kongs-basic-law-from-1999-to-the-present-day/
I felt great compassion for these people who have lived under British justice for generations. Knowing that the commitment of 'one country, two systems' ends in 2047 (if it even lasts that long) must be terrifying. Our guide told us of Chinese plans to use facial recognition to develop 'social credit' scores, a technological extension of the Mao years when neighbor tattled on neighbor, as a way to control citizens. For example, if cameras see you jaywalking, your social credit score goes down. If it gets low enough, permission to travel, get apartments, loans etc are denied - not unlike our financial credit scores. https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4
As a last word on the subject, I had several people randomly talk to me about their concerns. One woman, of British heritage is concerned that her grandson cannot go to Britain to live. The most the British offers these citizens is a visa to visit Great Britain for six months. Another woman complained to me that the demonstrators are spoiled students who don't want to do their school work.
I was a little disappointed that all the old sampans were gone, other than tourist boats. I did like the look of this working boat - the colors and shape seemed very Asian to me.
As slight compensation over the boats, I really enjoyed seeing these skinny trams making their way around. They reminded me of the night bus in Harry Potter that could make itself skinny. The transportation was superb - I got an Octopus card for about $6 which was easy to re-load and could be turned in at the end of my stay for a refund. It worked on all the transportation - trains, ferries, buses, trams. One could even use it to pay for things - it's like a debit card.
I had an image of Hong Kong as a mecca for duty free shopping. Sadly, most shopping choices were modern malls, very much like the shopping malls in the USA and probably not much difference price-wise.
So I was thrilled to find an old-style fabric market at the Western Market, where I found a couple of pieces of linen that I had made into pants.
I also visited the traditional jade market which was abundant with beautiful jade artifacts and jewelry. I regretted my lack of luggage space and belief that my abundant life does not need any more 'stuff' in it! I did manage to acquire a little jade bottle that is sitting in my china cabinet as a memento of this visit.
I took a second Hong Kong Free Walking Tour in Kowloon, which took us through the fish market. As you can see here, kittens are now in the area that used to be the fish market - with the cost of real estate being higher near the station, cats and dogs fetch a better return.
After a few blocks, we found the fish, conveniently set out in plastic bags. The Chinese regard fish as conferring luck on a person, especially wealth. The gold fish are associated with the metal and are a popular pet.
There were also turtles for sale, but our guide told us they are not for pets. He said there is a prevalent belief that the turtle shell, especially the bottom shell, cures cancer and many other illnesses, so they are used to make a medicinal soup. I hate to think this little guy was going to be boiled down for days in someones kitchen!
So, it was a pleasure instead to find ourselves in the flower market........
........and bird market. We learned that the demand for song-birds is declining. It was a hobby that older men enjoyed. Now it seems real estate costs, environmental pressures, time limitations and possibly the avian flu (which closed the market for 21 days in 2018) are eroding the customer base. We met the only artisan who is still making these traditional cages.
It is a relatively small place. Tin Hau is a Tao sea goddess and although the temple is now 3 km from the water, when it was built in 1864, it was a waterfront temple for sailors to pray for a safe voyage.
There were lots of lanterns lighting up the dark space. It was quite lovely.
Built in 1847, it was a meeting place for the Chinese merchants to discuss community affairs. The gods worshiped here are 'Man', who is the god of civility or literature and the other is 'Mo', who is the god of war. The face above has a friendly look, so I'm going to hope he is 'Man'.
The two gods were popularly patronized by scholars and students seeking progress in their study or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
People interact with the space by lighting candles and incense sticks and then praying at the altar.
The little temple seems a long way from the Ming and Qing dynasties nested in among these tall buildings!
From Man Mo, I headed over to a wonderful gift that Hong Kong offers, the Central Mid- Level Escalators, which is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The escalators total about 3/4 of a mile in distance and takes one 443 ft from bottom to top. It is much more enjoyable than walking lots of stairs!
It went by a small masque, The Jamia Mosque. I used it to get as high as I could toward Victoria Peak, so I could take a taxi to the mountain top from the top of the escalators.
There is usually a tram - a funicular railway - operating, which tourists often use to get to the Peak, but it was being refurbished while I was here. The taxi dropped me off at this shopping mall near the top, where many tourists go to this viewing platform.
However, I was determined to 'get to the top' and ventured on up to Victoria Gardens, a further climb of about a half mile. The mountain was shrouded in cloud and I was disappointed to discover that the summit itself was closed, as it is covered with microwave communication towers and water reservoirs.
I had lunch at a restaurant opposite the Galleria and was entertained to see this container ship headed out to sea. I imagined it might be carrying my ebay orders across the Pacific!
I finished my visit to Hong Kong with a walk from The Peak to my hotel, near the University of Hong Kong. I was grateful it was downhill all the way! I was quite amazed, really, that on this cramped island, there were still many walking trails. The encounter with this spider, above, reminded me that it is soil, rocks, water and vegetation which are the basis of all environments and that nature sill rules the roost.
And so ended my journey. I was pleased to have seen this fine city with its beautiful harbor, mountain peaks, modern skyscrapers and great transportation. But I was saddened by the situation it finds itself in, facing losses of freedom in the future. It was a remarkable contrast to Mongolia - from wide open spaces to a crammed island. Whereas Mongolia was a county in which the land is held in ownership for its citizens, in Hong Kong money dictates everything - 20% live in poverty amid great wealth and there is no housing support for the needy. Mongolia is endeavoring to embrace and merge with the traditional, Hong Kong appears to be OK with seeing tradition disappear with it's old neighborhoods.
I was glad to see it now and relieved that my time here was not disrupted by civil unrest. I wish the demonstrators well and would love to believe that they will be heard.
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