Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T12:35:18.559Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - The Occupy movement and its aftermath

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2023

Tim Summers
Affiliation:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Get access

Summary

The events of the autumn of 2014 catapulted Hong Kong back to international attention, over 17 years after the world's media had last flocked to the city for the handover ceremonies. The eruption of protests in Hong Kong's central business district and other spots around the SAR turned out not to be another of the many short-lived protests that Hong Kong had seen on a regular basis, but a 79-day “occupation” of streets which were more used to taxis, buses and cars than pedestrians and the tents of protestors.

This was the “Occupy” movement, dubbed by some of its supporters as the “umbrella revolution” or “umbrella movement” after the symbol adopted by protestors who had used umbrellas to ward off police pepper sprays early on in the demonstrations. Between the end of September and the middle of December there were standoffs between protestors and the police. Key arteries in the main business district were turned into impromptu campsites, which hosted mini lecture series, first aid points, rubbish collection and recycling, and a proliferation of political slogans. Wit and creativity, as well as obscenities – not uncommon characteristics of Cantonese language – featured in protesters’ slogans. Meanwhile, after the initial clashes and use of tear gas, a heavy police presence watched cautiously over developments, anxious on the most part to avoid more confrontation than necessary.

Around protesters and police, Hong Kong's business and financial elites and those who provided the daily services of the city's economy went about their usual business as best they were able, alert to possible developments on the streets. Occupy did not paralyze Hong Kong, and away from the protest areas, life was pretty much unaffected, with social media and local news bulletins providing regular updates from the protest frontline.

But this was an unprecedented time in Hong Kong, and one which would prove to be a turning point in the city's politics.

The immediate catalysts for these protests was the thorny question of political and constitutional reform, this time focused on the question of how the chief executive should be chosen in 2017 and beyond. But more lay behind the protests.

Type
Chapter
Information
China's Hong Kong
The Politics of a Global City
, pp. 77 - 102
Publisher: Agenda Publishing
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×