Photography & art / September 2014 (Issue 25)


Admiralty, Hong Kong, 12th October 2014

by David William Hill

In Admiralty, colorful tents have sprouted up like spring flowers, as core demonstrators seem to be settling in. Saturday night saw far fewer people in attendance than on Friday, but there were still speeches and forums for discussion. Sunday, however, seemed a little more like a street fair, with gawkers and tourists almost equaling the number of demonstrators, at least during the early afternoon. I don’t think this will continue through the week, and I suspect that, while a relatively small number of demonstrators will continuously occupy the site, larger crowds will continue to join rallies on particular nights. Pan-Democrat legislators have announced their plan for investigation of corruption allegations against the Chief Executive.


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Early Sunday afternoon in Admiralty. In addition to more tents going up, there are also more canopies for distribution and first-aid stations.

 

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Although many of the tents seem to be for personal use, with personal belongings in and around them, tents in this cluster were all empty, and each one was numbered, as if set aside for anyone who might choose to stay on a given night.


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One of at least a few temporary showers that have been set up.


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A rather well-organized study corner has been set up for students. Both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon I saw a couple of dozen young people sitting at tables with computers and books. There are places to work individually, as well as tables for group study. There is, as there should be, a sign asking people not to photograph the students while they're working. There are also several signs advertising free tutoring by students from various universities.


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Well, you get the idea. Demonstrators have done a fine job of carrying away trash, but keeping up on this can be a challenge at times, particularly on nights when the crowds swell. During the first week, the trash dumpsters of Admiralty Centre, which houses McDonald's, KFC, and a number of other restaurants happily selling food to demonstrators, were left available for dumping trash. But the building managers have since denied access to those dumpsters, despite the majority of the trash coming from establishments in their building. Garbage bags and recycling must now be carried a much greater distance for disposal.

 
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