Bittersweet: Making protest sites dream homes

How the Umbrella Revolution protesters have been walking through the movement since September 28, 2014.

Sleeping on the street for weeks to fight against the power for democracy can be very harsh — well, not in Hong Kong. The ability to make the best out of the worst remains a defining feature of Hongkongers. Protesters of the citywide Occupy movement (or popularly known as the Umbrella Revolution) demonstrate the world true colours of we the Hongkongers.

Walk into the occupied sites in Admiralty and have your jaw dropped. It might take you a moment to realise it is a protest site. Installation art pieces stand at different corners. Posters and political comics fill the walls. Chains of yellow umbrella origamis of different sizes drape from the poles all around the place. Even the protesters themselves are calling the site “the biggest arts exhibition” in the city — an interactive fair in which everyone can be an artist.

Creativity blossoms in the protest, so do the democratic thoughts and ideas behind them. Yet, relying simply on ideology or the rage towards the government cannot sustain the long fight — the protesters have to have their basic survival needs have catered.

The protest sites quickly developed from traffic lanes to a miniature city. The cold concrete traffic lanes were made, of course, for traffics but not for sleeping. Quickly, the traffic lanes are occupied with tents and blankets, some brought by the protesters and some donated by the public. Donated by the public are also other daily necessities — from hot meals and snacks to portable chargers for the gadgets. To distribute the stacks and piles of resources donated, the protesters form into teams to make sure everyone gets what they need.

Love and thoughts are also what protesters have to share. Need religious and spiritual support? They can go to the “church” and “temple” in the occupied sites in Mong Kok. Or they can just grab their buddies from other tents, whom they barely know, and share with them laughters and tears of fighting for democracy. They might be defiant towards authority but they could be the friendliest Hongkongers you would ever meet.

“You don’t really sleep at night here. This place is lively all night long with interesting people gathered here,” said Tiffany, independent artist who has drawn for free hundreds of portraits of protesters.

Protesters continues to build new facilities everyday with what the surroundings have to offer, for the convenience of visitors and people walking on the same path. They built a shower. They built a study room with free wi-fi offered. They are building more staircases along the curbs, allowing the old and the young to travel along with ease.

Regardless of the final outcome, the movement will end one day and all the occupied sites with have to be cleared. Creators said they would not feel bad to see their work gone when the day comes.

“By then they have already accomplished their mission,” said Mr Chan, referring to the staircases he built. “And, more important, the spirit will live no matter if we get democracy now. Man didn’t succeed the first attempt to go to the moon.”