chud37
151711
3405
65
Tales from China Part 2.
I hardly had time to process this before another calamity hit the city yesterday. But being out and about on 1 October was a surreal experience. It felt like I’d opened my door and stepped into a parallel dystopian universe.
The roads were emptied of traffic and filled instead with people dressed head-to-toe in black, some with only their eyes showing, others with freaky-looking Guy Fawkes masks on. They strolled down the streets, casually graffitiing the road below them and the tram stops and shop walls around them as they went, in the flippant-yet-desperate manner of those who know their message will not be heard, no matter how loudly they shout.
They moved around with no apparent direction in mind, every now and then clustering up to do some spray painting, start a fire, or barricade an MTR station entrance. The chanting was somewhat faded in comparison to previous marches. And then the police showed up and the crowd receded in unison, like an ebbing wave.
The police were dressed for battle and marched forward in squads, shouting “Leave now!” through crackling loudspeakers. In front of them: a retreating wall of umbrellas, clouds of teargas, and fire trucks wielding water canons that stained the roads blue. Behind them: silent streets strewn with the remains of black balloons, burnt flags and anti-totalitarianism posters.
All around, paper “burial money” fluttered in the wind like ghoulish confetti, slowly settling to form a faded yellow carpet of mourning on the ground. Every day since then, the air has hung heavy with apocalyptic despair. As Joshua Wong said, “This is the beginning of the end of Hong Kong”. ?
HiImTIG
Silly question but why are they writing everything in english if they are in HK?
FishingWarship
YouHaveJustLostTheGame
Ideas are bulletproof.
Innoculo
Sadly these are the death throws of freedom in Hong Kong. Beijing will slowly wear them down. US/UK will not risk a Cold War over HK.
danVsgravity
This is very well written
BeepBoopBurgerLettuce
This is scary scenery. As if straight from Mr Robot.
senseicombs
Their hand writing, with spray paint, on the street, is impeccable. Where others see revolutions I see my own need for improvement. I stinky
Binerexis
No matter what you do, there's always an Asian kid who does it better
Eddi3v
UddersofJustice
China.is.ass.hole
UnluckyBastard
https://youtu.be/_nNxCyvL5B8
OvergrownDwarf
Can someone explain why did the mass start to protest now and not a few years ago? Also what happens if they go bk to not protesting?
kluang
Norsefire
NomDeImguerre
What Hong Kong needs is a counter government, democratically chosen, that the outside world can legitimize.
Hellrzr33
thepuglover
God, im glad i visited there when it was still british!
DankLemonade
Can someone explain the burial money fluttering around
StarkRG
China isn't LIKE a dystopia, it IS a dystopia.
WristDeepInaBook
uh, what's this about "burial money" ?
NERDRAGEohacat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_paper It's a part of ancestor worship, the tradition is to burn representations of money and goods to 1/2
NERDRAGEohacat
provide the departed with riches in the afterlife. 2/2
flaktrak
So is there any chance the rest of the world can unite and stop buying chinese goods until they stop all this?
DrMephistoFromSouthParkColorado
Was this posted from an IPhone?
CaptRackham
They wouldn't. And no military is gonna get involved because China is itching to sling nukes. Not to sound defeatist but HK is done for
turomar
Yes there is a chance. About 1 in a million. How likely are YOU to stop buying the most affordable goods at walmart/amazon/whatever?
SciFiGuy2018
Should have put a mask over the Guy Fawkes mask, that would have been more appropriate.
richman888
That’s very neat writing for graffiti
Khrome
You're next, Taiwan!
madspinner
This is still going on? The NBA told me there was nothing to see here.
eidolways
I'm amazed we humans do this to each other. The police could drop their guns. But everyone assumes the system they're part of is immutable
eidolways
"This is the way of the world. The way things have been for ages. The way things must be." But... why?
Matrican
Fear, indoctrination, wealth, power there are many reasons to why somebody would do horrible acts against others. And "as long as it ...
Matrican
Isn't me and my close ones, then I don't care what happens to them".
astronomygeek7
I feel that this is from the perspective of someone pro-China in HK. It’s colored to make the protestors seem weak. Is that true OP?
Jabberwotchi
OP said its his sister in law in HK, there are people who are likely desperate and feel things arnt moving how they should. Could be that.
chud37
I think this is it exactly. She's scared and worried about the future of Hong Kong, she's lived there for about 5 years or more now.
Jabberwotchi
Its terrifying to realize your whole culture is leaning towards a dystopian future of enslavement, and so many are just outside looking in.
NERDRAGEohacat
Not everything that isn't wildly positive of the protests is pro-China. The simple fact is it's not as lively during the day because 1/2
NERDRAGEohacat
they've been protesting until near midnight every night for the past week. They'd have to be on cocaine to still have energy. 2/2
steveCosmosCat
For people who dont live in Hong Kong... the best and maybe the only way to send a message to China, would be to avoid buying Chinese goods
Matrican
Well doubt Norway (my country) will stop after getting the fish deal through after the whole Nobal Price went to a Chinese "dissident" EP.
ImDavidPumpkins
Why is it in english?
chud37
She's English living in HK
Xenarion
To get international attention.
Fasrill
Specifically the USA.
Wankathon
Majority of young HK people speak English
bafflinbook
... Poorly. They were taught English as a subject at school but mainly speak Cantonese at home work.
Wankathon
Not that poorly, conversational at least, I've spent a fair bit of time there
tempestfoxthree
Hong Kong was under British rule for 156 years. So I imagine a lot of the people there speak English. It reverted back to China in 1997.
bafflinbook
They command of English were poor compared to the colonies that were also under the British rule such as Malaysia, Singapore, India.
johnthehuman001
With the express understanding that China would leave them the fuck alone for 50 years. China forgot this part recently
cyborganism
Can't they storm the Parliament or wherever their leaders are all together?
meatwadsbro1
The vast majority of high up communist party leaders aren’t in Hong Kong but on the mainland
DanFendi
I think he means 'why isn't China doing that to the rebels?'
meatwadsbro1
The government of Hong Kong, though semi-independent from China, is basically a prop for the communist party. The rebels are the people 1/2
meatwadsbro1
Of Hong Kong, who want to be as independent from the mainland as possible, so political executives in Hong Kong aren’t the rebels 2/2
Paulier73
I just cant see China capitulating. HK IS part of China and as such they will as always force their rule. Could be the end of HK autonomy.
AgamemnonsMemes
This is the problem with people who think other countries should intervene. Hong Kong IS china, and thats that.
dogestyle
IIRC the agreement between the UK and China says that it has to happen in steps until 2050
AgamemnonsMemes
That is what china agreed too but they seem to have changed their mind and are fast tracking everything
johnthehuman001
Which is why everyone except China is quite rightly pissed off by it
AgamemnonsMemes
Don't get me wrong, its bad. Its just.. unless you want to literally go to war with china you can't do anything about it, and itsfrustrating
pakz
Not going to defend the chinese government, but I think people all over the world should be a bit more critical about what's going on there.
TinFoilKat
It’s never as simple as imgur makes it out to be
peabarleymixture
Exactly! Funny how serious some people take the "information" they obtain here
crushcastles23
Nah. It's pretty cut and dry. Hong Kong is fighting for freedom. China is trying to suppress them. If anything they need to take up arms.
[deleted]
[deleted]
pakz
One possible influx you might want to consider is the trade war between China and the US with HKactivists being courted by western countries
pakz
Like it or not, the US has quite a history of interfering in foreign countries with regime changes and support of revolts/rebels/etc.
NERDRAGEohacat
Unpopular opinion: people should verify what they see on imgur/reddit with reputable news sources, a bulk of the information on here 1/2
NERDRAGEohacat
comes from a single person, which leads to problems if they get details wrong. 2/2
Wastedalmond
Should be common sense. If I see interesting news here I go check outside sources next. Imgur is pretty good for making folks aware though.