Long Walk Along the Harbourfront

Gorgeous day for a walk and admire the Hong Kong skyline

This morning my friend and I did the 11.5km walk from North Point to Kennedy Town in just over two hours. It was a great way to walk off an accumulation of calories and see the city the way I used to see it when I lived in Hong Kong.

It was already sunny and hot at just after 8.30am when we set off, and luckily we had slathered on sunscreen and wore a hat. We walked past North Point, seeing people make use of seating areas to eat a snack, look at their phones or read the newspaper, and Fortress Hill before going to Tin Hau and Causeway Bay, walking around the Police Officers' Club.

Construction for the route in Sai Ying Pun

In Wan Chai there was a running race going on -- the My Boy 3K Family Run, based off of a comic strip character. We saw many people dressed in blue T-shirts with medals around their necks and then the actual race route along the Wan Chai waterfront. 

When we got to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre it was great to see the familiar sight of Victoria Harbour and both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. I was not able to spot any cats by the rocks though. 

Meanwhile there is construction extending from the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong so that people can walk from the hotel across an overpass to reach the walking path which will be fantastic once it's done; guests won't be confused as to how to get there and be able to enjoy the skyline by the harbourfront.

Pretty soon we arrived in Central, and spotted a military ship docked; I was surprised there were no People's Liberation Army soldiers out in front of the gates guarding the ship...

Military ship docked in Central

At the Ferry Piers there were the usual crowds hanging around waiting for friends or family before boarding together to go to the outlying islands and it wasn't as packed as it used to be pre-pandemic.

Shun Tak in Sheung Wan was basically the same, though with more pollution from the Turbocat ferries. I don't miss the noise pollution and the gasoline smell.

Soon after we arrived in Sai Ying Pun, and at Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park there were people exercising, children playing, and walking like us. But after passing the sports centre the route was diverted with lots of construction along what used to be the boardwalk.

My friend noted that not much seemed to have been completed since the last time he walked by this area. Alas will have to see how it looks the next time.

Finally we reached Shek Tong Tsui where we saw the former Instagram Pier that has been blocked off for years from public access, and soon enough we arrived at Kennedy Town.

The coffee shop Arabica is still very popular with mainland tourists thanks to Xiaohongshu, and across the street, many were trying to get a shot of themselves with Victoria Harbour in the background. There were more people taking pictures with the line of Banyan trees on Forbes Street. It is quite the miracle how the seeds for these trees landed in between the rocks of the stone wall and managed to cling on and grow into trees. 

Banyan trees are a tourist attraction in K-Town

It was heartening to see most of the restaurants and shops are still around.

Bakehouse Bakes up Success Story

Chef Gregoire Michaud with Bakehouse's famous egg tarts

Bakehouse is an extremely popular bakery that sells loaves of sourdough bread, pastries, cookies, sandwiches and doughnuts. Its most famous product is the sourdough egg tart, similar to the pastel de nata with its caramelised egg custard.

It was started 2018 by Swiss Gregoire Michaud, who quit his job as executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. He first set up a wholesale business in 2013 supplying bread to hotels and restaurants before opening the retail bakery Bakehouse.

There are queues daily at the various locations

For someone who covers the food business it's been fascinating to watch Bakehouse grow from its first shop in Wan Chai to now having seven locations around Hong Kong.

A few days ago I caught up with Michaud and he continues to have a very humble attitude towards building his business and brand, and knowing full well that consistency is key.

The last time I talked to him was during the Covid-19 pandemic and he was having a hard time despite long lines at Bakehouse; the wholesale side of his business had completely plunged because hotels and restaurants did not order any bread, as hardly any customers dined out.

While retail sales at Bakehouse were doing very well, it was just barely enough to get by those few years. After the pandemic was over and borders reopened, sales bounced back very quickly.

Michaud said that the second most popular location after Wan Chai is Tsim Sha Tsui, with mainland customers passing through the area via the high-speed rail and thanks to Xiaohongshu, these visitors will go to Bakehouse and pickup not one box of egg tarts (six per box), but eight -- yes eight boxes of egg tarts. 

The flaky egg tarts are made with sourdough

But then someone on Xiaohongshu posted that if they wanted to skip the lines in Tsim Sha Tsui they should go to the Causeway Bay location.

There are even people in Taiwan who fly to Hong Kong specifically to stand in line at Bakehouse to buy the egg tarts and then get back on the next flight to deliver them to people who have ordered them online.

Some local residents have given up lining up for the prized egg tarts, saying because Bakehouse is trying to keep up with demand, quality has dropped...

Last year it was reported Bakehouse sold a whopping 18,000 to 20,000 egg tarts per day. At HK$12.50 each, that's a cool HK$91.25 million annually.

Quite amazing considering Michaud and his team were experimenting with some leftover sourdough dough to make egg tarts.

And they really are delicious. 

HKJA Strikes Out on Two Hotel Venues

HKJA chair Selina Cheng holds Poon's calligraphy at Eaton HK

How hard is it for organisations in Hong Kong to hold a spring dinner for their members? 

Apparently it's near impossible, as the Hong Kong Journalists Association found out.

The Regal Hong Kong in Causeway Bay claimed it had "water leakage causing unstable power supply" and had to cancel the reservation two days before the event. 

In 2019 the hotel seemed supportive of protesters

So the HKJA postponed the dinner and made a reservation at the Eaton HK hotel in Jordan, and paid a deposit.

But then the group got some bad news today.

In an email to attendees, it said in part: 

"HKJA received notice from the new venue, Eaton HK, stating they were 'unable to host your proposed event.' No reason was given," the email said. "It is regrettable that, two times in a row in a short period of time, HKJA has had contracted bookings -- for which deposits were paid and documents signed -- cancelled by the venues."

This is particularly disappointing because the Eaton hotel is known to be more liberal, marketing itself as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, and during the 2019 protests put up a billboard on its building that read: "What does your revolution look like?"

So for Eaton HK to cancel the HKJA event shows how much pressure the hotel was under, and this is the new normal in Hong Kong.

In retaliation, people online posted bad reviews of the hotel on Google.

Ironically, one of the items that was to be auctioned off at the dinner is a work of calligraphy by lyricist Poon Yuen-leung.

It reads: "To brave the road ahead together, with wind gusting against us, we share our frustration and our pride. Sweep the dust on my face, empty the sorrows in our hearts, I beat on and stride forward with you."

Grocery Chain Closes in Hong Kong Adding to Retail Woes

Uselect supermarkets will be closing across Hong Kong

More closures happening in Hong Kong with supermarket chan Uselect closing all of its locations because of the city's retail slump.

Uselect is owned by state-owned China Resources Group, and its closure comes days after its health product business CR Care announced it was shutting all 19 of its shops in November after 13 years in Hong Kong.

Uselect offered many UK-imported goods

Before the 2019 protests, Uselect opened in good locations and offered things like a large selection of cheeses at decent prices aimed at expats. It was also open later so I would sometimes pop in to buy something, or look around for discounts.

The supermarket chan had 100 locations in the city as recently as last year, but when it announced its closure on Sunday, only 40 were listed. 

When the 2019 protests broke out, some protesters targeted mainland Chinese businesses, but they managed to survive through the Covid-19 pandemic too. But perhaps shoppers would rather patronise local businesses.

Other closures:

An American brand called Garrett Popcorn is closing all of its locations as well after calling it quits on Hong Kong after 13 years.

UA Cinemas has also shuttered its six theatres across the city, unable to recover after there were mandatory closures of the theatres in 2020 for 190 days. 

The opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in 2012 

Dessert shop Holly Brown that served unusual ice cream flavours and specialty coffee, closed last June, while its subsidiary Cabin Crew Coffee also closed in August last year.

Grocery chain Dah Chong Hong (DCH) Food Mart announced in March it was closing all 28 branches after 39 years in Hong Kong. 

That said, Abercrombie & Fitch is coming back! There will be two locations, in Hysan Place in Causeway Bay and New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. The American fashion brand returns to Hong Kong eight years after it left Pedder Street where it paid an exorbitant amount for rent.

Everyone wants to know -- will they be bringing back the shirtless young men too?

Louis Koo's Alleged Loan Default

Koo is being sued by his business partner for HK$8.3 million

Earlier I wondered why actor Louis Koo Tin-lok was hired as the face to help rehabilitate the Hong Kong taxi industry, and now we may know why.

A few days ago it was reported that Koo is being sued by his business partner for allegedly failing to repay a HK$8.3 million (US$1.1 million) loan from a fashion joint venture a decade ago.

Film producer, investor and chairman of entertainment group Sunny Side Up Culture Alex Dong Choi-chi also asked the High Court to order the 53-year-old to surrender half of the stakes in an offshore company investing in a Chinese restaurant in Causeway Bay.

In a business deal gone sour, Koo didn't have enough money to pay his shares of the HK$16.6 million invested at the time so Dong loaned him HK$8.3 million interest-free to be repayable within five years, but according to the writ, none of it has been repaid.

No word from Koo yet, but perhaps we can assume he'll be working in the next few months?!

First Impressions of Hong Kong Two Years Later

Nice to be back walking along the promenade again

Woke up at 4am this morning with jet lag and couldn't get back to sleep until around 6am for another two hours. It took me a while to get organised but I finally got out the door and on a whim took the tram going west from Sai Wan Ho.

The streets were much quieter because it was Good Friday, and many people have left for the long weekend. By the time the tram reached Causeway Bay it was 11.15am and I realised Din Tai Fung was there. Vancouver is set to have one towards the end of this year, so I decided to have my dumpling fix.

Xiaolongbao looks a bit smaller at Din Tai Fung

When I got there the shutter was still down, but staff were busy in the kitchen wrapping dumplings. The restaurant actually opened before 11.30am and there were only a handful of us waiting to get the first seats.

As I perused the menu I was shocked that the prices had gone up, and not only that when the food arrived, the dumplings and other dishes looked smaller. Shrinkflation, folks. The food was still good, but for one person it cost HK$230 for pork dumplings, vegetarian dumplings and an appetiser of seaweed and beansprouts with a generous drizzle of sesame oil.

Nearby was Sogo and even though it was lunchtime it was not packed with shoppers despite encouraging its members to collect five times the points on certain products. I managed to score 20 percent off on swimming caps because I bought two.

The next stop was to see Bakehouse, a popular bakery that had opened there after I left. It was completely packed with a queue of people waiting patiently to snap up sourdough egg tarts, pastries, cookies and coffee. Amazing.

Bakehouse doing a bustling business

I then headed to Sheung Wan to buy ferry tickets to Macau in a few days. There were massive lines at TurboJet (the red ferry), while the one for Cotai (blue) was not too bad. Service was brisk with three people servicing counters for tickets to Macau as well as China. 

There weren't as many mainlanders in the city, though today is Friday. My friend and I saw a group of young people wearing the same cap with a small Winnie the Pooh stuffie on it! How ironic.

She took me to a bookshop called Mount Zero in Tai Ping Shan that will be closing at the end of the month. It has been accused by the authorities for several minor violations, including illegally occupying a space outside the shop. It's a tiny place and there were lots of people standing in front or trying to get inside to take a look. 

After that we made our trek east, walking through Central, then Admiralty towards Tamar where there were a lot of people waiting to look at... glowing eggs. It's an exhibition put on by Team Lab from Japan. There are giant eggs that you can touch and apparently make sounds and these things go all the way down the grass at Tamar into the water too. We had to fight the crowds to get to the waterfront.

Mount Zero bookstore closing soon

Almost two hours later we made it to Fortress Hill and enjoyed a Japanese meal that included grilled fugu or puffer fish, and yakitori skewers of beef, chicken, mushrooms, scallops, shishito peppers, and sweet potato, and boiled edamame washed down with sake.

Hopefully that long walk will keep jet lag at bay!

This Underpass is a Hit to Expel Bad Luck

It's busy these days at this underpass for "villain hitting"

Underneath the Canal Road overpass in Causeway Bay, there are women sitting on low stools next to mini shrines burning candles and incense sticks. They aren't just hanging around -- they offer a service.

Called "villain hitting" (打小人), these women will take a picture or the name of someone you don't like and literally hit it with a shoe before burning joss paper.

It's kind of like the Chinese version of a voodoo doll, and if you believe in it, your troubles could disappear -- for a fee of course.

A woman hits a piece of paper with a shoe

It's particularly busy now because it's jingzhe, the day that marks the beginning of "insects awakening" in the lunar calendar and the belief is that "villain beating" will bring good luck to you by getting rid of evil spirits.

The name of the person causing you trouble is written on a piece of paper and placed on a brick before the women beats it with a shoe. After a good beating, paper tigers are burned and the client is blessed.

When Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor became chief executive in 2017, a number of customers requested her to be hit, but since the national security law was imposed in July 2020, no one dares to request a government official.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, some requested the virus be beaten up in hopes that it would go away.

These days it's so busy at this underpass with locals looking for luck and curious visitors that some residents have created memes that the Hong Kong Tourism Board should be looking into promoting "villain hitting" to get more people interested in coming to the city.

At one time I did seriously consider using this service to get rid of some bad vibes from someone. But eventually this person did go away to the surprise of many of us! Maybe it was me manifesting it all along?

Japanese Restaurants in HK Struggle to Survive

Hongkongers now go to Japan for food at cheaper prices

It is really sad to read that Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong are being decimated by the government's ban on importing Japanese seafood from specific prefectures for fear of contamination from the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Almost one-third of all Hong Kong's Japanese restaurants have shuttered this year not only because of the ban, but also the drop in tourism in the city.

Radioactive water is being released at Fukushima

High-end omakase restaurants are hit the hardest, as Hongkongers are opting to head to Japan to take advantage of the low yen and eat there instead.

It was the complete opposite during the Covid-19 pandemic, when diners had no choice but to patronise Hong Kong-based restaurants.

It used to be that the city had the most Japanese restaurants outside of Japan with 1,400 as of last year, but now many of them located in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui have closed.

If people aren't traveling to Japan, they are certainly ordering the seafood online from prefectures not affected by the ban, and isn't very expensive.

Or they are throwing caution to the wind and eating in the banned prefectures, which include Tokyo.

Michelle Chiu of global real estate service JLL, said she noticed a trend of Japanese and Western restaurants having to close down or change their business operations to stay alive.

High-end omakase restaurants being hit hardest

"Some of our clients who operate omakase restaurants need to switch to more affordable meals," she said, adding her restaurant clients had found business was "worse than during the pandemic".

Hopefully the employees of restaurants that have shut down have found work elsewhere... parlaying their experience into something else! Other restaurants could use a helping hand or two...

Picture of the Day: Yellow Distraction

Two giant ducks that duck a significant anniversary

Today is the fourth anniversary of the first massive anti-extradition march, where some 1 million people came out to protest. They dressed in white, mourning the end of Hong Kong if the extradition bill was passed, while walking in the humid heat from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Central.

But today there are no protests in the city, where the rules changed overnight with the national security law in place in 2020 and as a result no dissent is allowed.

When 1M people wore white to protest in 2019

To distract people from the anniversary, there are not one, but two cute giant ducks bobbing in Victoria Harbour.

The pair of ducks at 18 metres tall are bigger than the one that came 10 years ago at 16.5 metres.

Whooweeeee.

As if to rub it in further, in a press release, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman gushed, "Double duck is double luck", in a nod to the Hong Kong government's bid to invite people to the city with its "Happy Hong Kong" campaign.

However are people really happy?

If they were, they wouldn't be leaving in droves, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of Hongkongers migrating elsewhere and the birthrate has dropped.

It's gotten so bad that five schools are facing closure because they don't have enough students or teachers. 

In any event, as Hong Kong celebrates the arrival of the ducks, may we point out their bright yellow colour has significance for some people?

A Crime to Remember June 4

The last candlelight vigil in Victoria Park on June 4, 2019

In Hong Kong it is the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a tragic anniversary that used to be marked with tens of thousands of people descending on Victoria Park for the candlelight vigil.

Upon entering the Causeway Bay park, attendees passed by a small statue of the Goddess of Democracy and received a white candle and a conical paper cup with a small hole cut at the bottom as a candle holder, and a program.

The Goddess of Democracy statue

People sat on football pitches and quietly waited for the event to start, where every year the same songs were played, the same kind of speeches made, calling for the Chinese government to be accountable for the deaths of Beijing residents in and around Tiananmen Square. 

There would be a voice recording from one of the Tiananmen Mothers, whose son or daughter died during the bloody crackdown, continuing to mourn their loss without recognition from the government, and a survivor or witness would also give a speech, telling the assembled crowd what they had heard and seen.

Songs were sung, slogans chanted, and candles lit -- with people in awe of the magical sight of these small lights that shone so brightly in the dark. The candles were a powerful reminder of why it was important to gather and remember.

This ritual happened for 30 consecutive years until suddenly overnight it has become a crime to remember June 4 after the national security law was implemented in July 2020.

Some of the organisers of the vigil, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, including Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Lee Cheuk-yan were arrested and charged with violating the national security law. They are now remanded in custody.

Kwan and Lau (middle) surrounded by police

The subsequent anniversaries were "cancelled" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this year is the first one free of restrictions.

However, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu refused to clearly state if people could commemorate June 4, saying they should obey the law.

But some people were undeterred yesterday and there are reports that up to eight people were arrested for publicly marking the anniversary of the crackdown.

Two people, Kwan Chun-pong and Lau Ka-yee wore black T-shirts and a red cross painted on their mouths, stood by Victoria Park and planned to stage a 24-hour hunger strike. But they were taken away by the police.

Meanwhile two artists outside the Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay were taken away by the police too. One of them, Sanmu Chan shouted, "Do not forget June 4! Don't be afraid of them, Hongkongers!" as two police held each arm and escorted him away. He was even verbally warned by another officer to shut up, but the artist continued chanting.

Chan (middle) told Hongkongers not to forget 6/4

Another couple in white who held chrysanthemum flowers were taken away. When asked if they were being arrested, the young man said he didn't know why.

After people could not go to Victoria Park, the Tiananmen Square Museum in Mong Kok became the next pilgrimage spot, but then it too was unceremoniously shut down just before June 4, 2021. Police raided the museum and took away all of the artefacts that had been collected over the years.

Now Hongkongers can only remember the anniversary in their hearts, and also reflect on how much the city has changed in such a short period of time.

While the authorities are trying very hard to make people forget June 4, they cannot succeed. And the diaspora outside of Hong Kong are even more determined to keep the memory alive, ensuring the candles continue to shine brightly.

Protest Art Censored in HK

No Rioters was shown on the massive outdoor screen at Sogo

Art Basel is wrapping up today in Hong Kong after what seems like a pretty successful comeback with 177 galleries and 86,000 visitors, but it wasn't without controversies.

One of them involved a digital art installation on the giant outdoor screen of Sogo department store in Causeway Bay that was taken down apparently because of censorship.

The work was called No Rioters by American Patrick Amadon. Shouldn't the title have given a hint of what it was about? And who at Sogo was the one who allowed the piece to be shown there?

The work shows a surveillance camera filming

Or perhaps Amadon shouldn't have said anything?

That's because he revealed in the mostly red and black digital art display, there are flashes of computer coding that reveal the names, ages and jail terms of Hongkongers who were convicted for their participation in the 2019 protests.

The art installation, which mainly shows a surveillance camera swivelling around, was one of several shown on the massive outdoor screen.

No Rioters refers to the protesters who demanded the authorities drop their characterisation of the demonstrators as "rioters".

Amadon told a Hong Kong media outlet that he wanted to express solidarity with Hongkongers who were "doomed to fail against the resources of the government, yet so many protest[ed] and fought back anyway."

"Don't want the sacrifices, principles and people who participated to be forgotten. The world has moved onto art this week. Think this is a good opportunity to remind everyone of what Hong Kong has become and the tragedy so many are ignoring," he said, adding that the flashes of computer code represented protesters as a "glitch in the government matrix."

Flashes of code show names and ages of convicted protesters

The Los Angeles-based artist was not concerned about his safety because he was not in Hong Kong, but five days after the installation was put up, No Rioters was taken down.

It was unclear if the government was involved in the decision to remove the art work, but surely Sogo senior executives must have been terrified.

Nevertheless it gave Amadon an opportunity to show that Hong Kong had lost its freedom of expression and artistic freedom.

"This objectively shows that they are no longer here in the same way that they once were," he said. "From a narrative standpoint, I mean, it did have to get censored and taken down, I feel like, to be a completed piece."

He's made his point loud and clear artistically and politically...

Remembering August 31

People left flowers, believing people died in the station

Today Hongkongers are remembering the third anniversary of the events that transpired in Prince Edward MTR station. Commuters, some of whom were protesters, some not, were attacked by police in the MTR station. 

The images of fully armoured police armed with batons, beat people trying to defend themselves with flimsy umbrellas were shocking, people huddled together on the floor of an MTR carriage crying hysterically, fearing for their lives.

This scene is etched in people's memories

Meanwhile first aid volunteers tried to reach people down in the MTR they thought were injured, but the police had the entrance gates shut down. One very young first aid volunteer begged the police to let him inside to help the victims, even offering his first aid kit to them, but they told him to get lost. He cried in anguish, feeling guilty and frustrated.

Now three years later and in Vancouver, I am still grappling with these events.

This evening at a dinner party I sat next to middle-aged man who was born and raised in Hong Kong, went to Canada for school at the age of 16 in Victoria, BC and later university in London, ON. Afterwards he basically settled here for over 30 years.

He asked me what it was like during the protests in 2019, could there have been 2 million people on the streets? I said that there were some people who did the whole march and then went back to Causeway Bay to walk it again.

How could the Hong Kong government have not seen what the people wanted? How could it not have listened to them?

From this day police became more aggressive

As I told him I have lived there for 18 years in total, the last stretch from 2010 until four months ago, he then knew that I had seen Hong Kong's progression, as I had witnessed the Umbrella Movement and then the 2019 protests.

The last time he visited Hong Kong was in 2012 and even then he could feel the tension, with Hongkongers frustrated with mainlanders coming to the city to buy everything from shampoo to food to luxury goods to flats.

He used to visit Hong Kong every 10 years, but the pandemic and the passing of his father in 2020 in Vancouver put an end to that. Seeing how the city has changed in the last few years has made him uninterested in going back, though he admits missing eating certain foods, like liver sausage wrapped in steamed rice rolls, and snake soup.

When the protests erupted three years ago, he only saw snippets of it in news reports or on social media. It wasn't until he watched the documentary, Revolution of Our Times did he finally get to see the comprehensive picture of the protests from beginning to end. 

He says some friends are very yellow, others are the deepest hue of blue, and at times finds it hard to navigate conversations as diplomatically as possible. 

This documentary gives a fuller picture of protests

This is not an isolated problem, as every other Hongkongers has had to deftly figure out who is blue and who is yellow and steer clear of politics as much as possible. This is the reality these days, there is no green, or middle ground.

We all love Hong Kong, and the ones who have left love it just as much as those who are still there. Which is why we remember all the anniversaries, because this is a collective memory -- we saw what happened and we will not forget.

Picture of the Day: Tennis Ball Furniture

Tennis ball furniture, anyone?

I don't know if these chairs are comfortable, but at least the material is being reused.

Sports for Hope Foundation has teamed up with Hong Kong designer and Goods of Desire owner Douglas Young to create furniture from used tennis balls that were collected at 16 private clubs and five Leisure and Cultural Services Department tennis courts across the city.

They are currently on display at Lee Theatre, across from Times Square shopping mall in Causeway Bay until the end of July.

It is estimated that over 2 million tennis balls are used each year in Hong Kong. That's a lot of tennis which is great, but then what does happen to these balls when they go soft and are unusable anymore?

Oldenburg made big versions of everyday objects

"I think most of us do not realise used tennis balls can cause such a huge environmental issue," said Young in a press release. 

"I am so grateful to be offered the opportunity to help. In making the world a better place, these amazing pieces of environmentally friendly artwork are born. The lesson I have learned is to never underestimate the creative potential of the most ordinary things we have around us."

That led me to think of artist Claes Oldenburg who died earlier this week at the age of 93. The Swedish-born American Pop artist took everyday objects and made them huge, placing them in outdoor landscapes. They made viewers look at ordinary things differently, with a dose of whimsy.

Tennis balls should definitely be reused some way -- and hopefully it's not just as art pieces, but in ways that can be useful to others.

33 Years Later Remembering June 4

The Goddess of Democracy at UBC

On the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Hong Kong police were out in force around Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, making sure nobody was doing anything to commemorate June 4th.

Meanwhile the pitches were empty, even though there were claims someone had booked them. 

Police officers in Causeway Bay near Victoria Park

For many, the thought of possibly being arrested near Victoria Park was not worth it, or would rather mark the sad anniversary at home with candles. The ability to congregate as a group in the tens of thousands and focus on the victims was something people did for 30 years in Hong Kong, but no more.

An activist, Lau Shan-ching, was arrested for wearing a mask and T-shirt that said: "Commemorate June 4th Victoria Park 2022" for allegedly uttering inciting words and participating in unauthorised assembly. Others weren't even allowed to leave flowers at the park. 

One woman was detained briefly for wearing a T-shirt that had these words written on the back: "You cannot fight against the future." She was warned the message may constitute illegal assembly. 

Right...

US consulate had candles on the windowsills

University campuses in Hong Kong have also taken down any kind of memorials to the event, from the Pillar of Shame at the University of Hong Kong, the Goddess of Democracy at Chinese University, slogans written on walls and sidewalks have all been painted over.

This is the way Beijing wants it to be -- whitewashed from history and forgotten while fewer people come out publicly to mark the anniversary.

Beijing even asked consulates not to commemorate the event, but many defied the request and lit candles that were placed on window sills for people to see. It was a peaceful yet firm act of resistance.

This afternoon I went to the University of British Columbia to see the Goddess of Democracy statue which is near Brock Hall. I was heartened to see some flowers already placed there, and some white candles had already burned out, but another one was lit.

Activist Lau Shan-ching was arrested by police

There were also some umbrellas placed there in reference to the 2019 protests.

One on side of the base of the statue was a plaque with the headline, "The Empty Chair". It read:

"Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." As he was imprisoned in China at the time, his award was presented to an empty chair at the ceremony in Oslo.

"In 2017, LIU became the second Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in government custody."

A man in black wearing a yellow mask handed me a piece of paper with lyrics to songs that would have been sung at the candlelight vigil at Victoria Park.

I explained I had just recently moved back. "I did too, I moved here a year ago," he said.

Flowers and umbrellas by statue

He was by himself and seemed happy to sing songs, including Glory to Hong Kong in English.

Most people walked by him, a few people stopped to take pictures.

Just over a year ago the June 4 Museum in Hong Kong was abruptly shut down. It was not unexpected but it was still shocking to see happen. I had just visited the day before because it was the next logical place to commemorate the incident after Victoria Park was shut down.

But now the place to visit is the Hong Kong News-Expo near PMQ above Sheung Wan, where there are copies of newspaper front pages of June 4.

It's ironic considering it's a government building and funded with taxpayer money...

HK Police Warn Against June 4 Gatherings

The police will be out in force this Saturday, June 4

It's that time of year again when the police send out warnings that aren't explicit enough but seriously hint that people should not commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the June 4 massacre in Tiananmen Square -- and that they should stay away from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

The admonition came after Liauw Ka-kei, senior superintendent for operations from Hong Kong Island Regional Headquarters told reporters the police will closely monitor for any signs of a terrorist attack by radical activists.

With the national security law in place since June 2020, the chances of radical activists having something up their sleeve is very slim.

Mass gatherings for June 4 are a thing of the past

People just want to commemorate this tragic event, and they are denied the ability to do that, yet again.

Yet Liauw warned people not to even encourage others to gather at Victoria Park, and that the police would step up patrols in and around Causeway Bay.

"I just say that whatever police actions [we are] going to take, including police presence in the vicinity, as well as doing some control measures at Victoria Park, all our objectives are back to the basic -- to maintain public order and public safety," he said.

"And also, if we could prevent the unlawful, unauthorised assemblies from happening, it would be the best approach, instead of making arrests or making strict enforcement actions. This is not what we hope for."

So basically he says in a roundabout way is, please don't gather at Victoria Park.

Liauw was asked by reporters if people wore black clothes near the area, and/or they lit candles, would they be arrested, he had a vague but underlying threatening response.

"Even if you are alone and coming to Victoria Park, according to the law I must stress that if you are staying with a group of people at the same place, at the same time and with a common purpose to express certain views, it is already meeting the definition of a meeting. And depending on the number of persons at the scene, that may contravene offences, including [taking part in] unauthorised assemblies," he said.

Police will block every entrance to the park

"Really try not to test the boundaries, as well as testing the determination of our commitment in enforcing the law in this operation."

He has scared off anyone who regularly exercises at the park, and now he is trying to shoo away anyone with any intention of holding some kind of vigil.

Can he not say that vigils related to June 4 are now considered illegal and that the police will be in the park to enforce this?

But it seems he cannot even say the date or the name of the incident. Even that is off limits, perhaps because Beijing doesn't even acknowledge it happened, let alone how many people died that night.

It shows the lengths at which the Hong Kong government is desperately trying to keep people away, but at the same time seems willing to enforce the law strictly should anyone show up at Victoria Park on Saturday evening.

For people who have gone to the park every year for over three decades, it's a hard habit to break, and hard to comprehend this new reality that does not include a candlelight vigil that up until over two years ago was sanctioned.

However,  it's the new normal, one that has scrubbed June 4 from its calendar, but is still fully ingrained in people's hearts.