It's Suck-Ups Vs The People Day!
OK, let's not be partisan here. Being political neutral, it's the day of the always-enormous "We want Democracy" rally and march - when tens of thousands turn out to protest - and China's Communist Party countering "We Love Beijing" parade which is always winsy but takes place right outside our window, which is very nice of them.
In fact, the whole thing is very nice of them. I saw something on the streets of Wan Chai 1st July about four years ago that made me ... ummm, strongly convinced that Beijing was viewing HK's Democracy Protests with a very jaundiced eye. I won't say what I saw, although I may bandy about the words "hidden red-shirted army" and "large numbers of cudgels" for no apparent reason. Needless to say, I made phone calls to everyone I knew was in Victoria Park telling them to skip the Wan Chai leg ... but then a bus went around and a lady speaking Mandarin called out through a mega-phone and everyone came out of hiding and got on the bus and ... well, let's just say I assumed from that I was actually witnessing Beijing's change of heart.
So now we have this wonderful colourful "We love you Beijing" parade (last year's, here) instead of red-shirted street violence and you must admit it's so much nicer.
And somewhere in between we have an impromptu little Pro-Beijing march, then the "we don't want to belong to any political affiliation but are as mad as hell" march ... followed by The March of the Hooligans, or so Maria calls the Pro-Democracy Patriots!
So that's what we'll be doing on our 2010 "Birth of Hong Kong" Memorial Public Holiday. Always great fun.
STEP ONE
So, it's 11am 2010 and I'm hanging out my window anticipating ... and, yayy, here's the first beat in the drum:
The music is very pretty, and the jostling crowds are ... not jostling crowds at all.
OK, it's been about ten minutes since I took that photo. Let's have another one:
Mmm, even less jostling there now.
But let's not see it that way. Let's look at this lovely "I Love My Communist Overlords" rally with all the pretty music and lovely colours as a very nice thing for Beijing to do.
STEP TWO
Ah, it's 11.20 and here come the marching bands:
And here come the people:
And please tell me there'll be dragons. I'll be most unimpressed if "here there be no dragons"!
Yayyy, dragons:
And look, how cute, la, this year they also have a Phoenix:
And here come the umbrellas:
OK, something seems to have happened to my photo program and it's not uploading these dribs-and-drabs properly ... so why don't I just go hang out my window for a while and take a whole lot and get back to you later.
Southorn Park at noon:
And here's my favourite photo of all:
So it's now 1pm ... and here's Southorn Park:
It's like it never happened! You know, this is what I love about the Cantonese. Everything is always done so quickly and efficiently! And the trains always run on time. It's like Hitler's wet dream only, you know, NOT!
Now all is quiet on HK's streets ... but only because everyone's gone down to Victoria Park to mass for this afternoon's big Democracy Rally. And, since the Tienanmen Square Memorial Night was MASSIVE this year, I'm guessing that this afternoon's march will also be huge. Lots and lots to protest about. (Oops, posted a link to the wrong year, but ... can you really tell?)
We're joining friends half way. I can't go into Victoria Park for the rally anymore, seeing as how ... no, I don't want to even think about it ... although great kudos to the CBC lassies of the Rainbow Alliance Soccer Team (at least that who I assumed they were from their calligraphy) for rescuing the hundred or so of us who were almost crushed by passive-aggressive police incompetence and stupid instructions. Let's just say that +30,000 people trying to get out of a narrow gateway is NOT a place you want to be either.
STEP THREE
It's just after 3pm and the Pro-Beijing march is underway ...
... the real one!
the previous one was
just the parade ...
Tee hee! It's winsy small too!
OK, now that's BIZARRE! Everyone is chanting what sounds exactly like "Na sa mate kai kai!" which is Fijian for "The food is dead!" which really can't be right, can it?
What are they really chanting? Can someone tell me?
What do we want?
Dead food!
When do we want it?
Now!
Nah, doesn't work for me either.This is really strange stuff, these Cantonese chants. You may recall how creepy I found it at my first Pro-Democracy March - in 2004 I think? - when everyone around me was chanting "Waltzing Matilda" ... and I asked and a lovely fellow said it was Cantonese for "Power to the People!" which is really very interesting, don't you agree, because I never understood why everyone in Australia thinks a song about stealing sheep or whatever, is really a song about creating a republic ...
... however hearing nearly half a million people chanting "Wal-tzing-Ma-til-da" all those years ago I remember thinking to myself that there was once a property out there in Winton in Outback Queensland - where they once had a party that turned into an uproarious night stomping around to the chant of "Wal-tzing-Ma-til-da" - which lead, the next day, to the creation of that Great Australian Theme Song - which must have had a Chinese cook.
Ah, it's 3.20pm and all is quiet again.
Won't it be interesting to read in tomorrow's newspapers just how many zillions were supposed to be in that particular March.
STEP FOUR
It's 3.40 and here comes the "I don't belong to either camp but I'm mad as hell!" march, although can you call it a march when there's only him and his police escort?
Whatever he's protesting,
I'm on his side!
The rally will be leaving Victoria Park around now, so no more until then ...
Oh wow, it's only 4pm and here it comes, one hour earlier than usual. Guess it's because the other two marches were so short this year.
STEP FIVE
Well, here goes. After an entire day of out-the-window and at-the-computer, I'm so up for the 5000 plus steps to Government House, thus I'm off now.
Nice day for it:
I'll show you last year's rally and only post tomorrow if this year's is very, very different.
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