Hong Kong’s Unofficial Flag

The striped plastic, commonly referred to as red-white-blue (RWB), is an ever-present sight in Hong Kong. The banded and tartan polyurethane manifests itself in various forms throughout the city. It has become a visual icon of the landscape. However, RWB holds a deeper symbolism for Hong Kong than a simple visual icon. By exploring RWB’s versatility and rise to emblematic status we can see how its utilisation reflects the identity of Hong Kong and the spirit of its residents.

One of the many proliferations of the RWB plastic is in the ubiquitous bag. Walking through the streets and subways of Hong Kong I would regularly see the tote slung on someone’s shoulder or being towed on a hand trolley. This has been a common sight in Hong Kong since the late 1970’s and early 80’s when China re-opened it’s borders. (Tai-Lok 2005). As Hong Kongers travelled back to their homelands, limitations put in place by the Chinese government meant homecomers needed to switch from suitcases to the RWB tote. It became highly popular due to it’s lightness, cheapness and versatility (Wan 2005). The tartan bags would be crammed with gifts and daily necessities for relatives back in China thus earning the moniker of the “homecoming bag”. The bag has therefore come to represent the cross-border identity of Hong Kong (Liu 2011, pp.16) as a “jittery city” of Chinese immigrants (Turner 2005).

But as Hong Kong developed into a commercial hub, the utilisation of the RWB evolved. As you walk through Hong Kong, a standard function of the candy-striped plastic is concealment. The abstract sculptural forms created in the act “is prosaic, like tents used as shelter against rain and sun, as a partitioning, it divides or covers space.” (Harter 2005). Objects range from bikes, cardboard, metal rails and even a sail boat. RWB provides covering over narrow alleyways and acts as a container for an assortment of materials. When sketching scenes from photographs a commonality emerged. The RWB is usually concealing or containing items that have been left in public spaces. They are on street corners, footpaths, alleys, and road islands. Whoever left these objects in the public realm has covered them in the RWB and in doing so has appropriated public areas for private storage.

The act of appropriating public space is a common practice in the social culture of Hong Kong. Due to high population density, there is a scarcity of private space. “Residents look to ‘compensate’ for their limited privacy by creating their own private space within the public realm, making use of the street…”(Taylor & Inclan-Valadez, n.d.). The act of privatising the public is particularly evident in the utilisation of the RWB as shelter over alleyways. A covering stretched over the two walls of an alley creates a semi-private location. The alleyway becomes more sheltered, more accommodating and suddenly the laneway has the potential to be a break room, a market stall or a social gathering place (Poon 2016).

Additionally, I distinguished a commonality between the users of RWB. From my observations I saw that RWB users were usually middle-aged to elderly working citizens. They fashioned the banded plastic into design solutions to substitute or extend the functionality of an item. Even the RWB bags themselves have diverse usages. When it wasn’t used for travel ‘it could be used for removals and storage for off season clothing which perfectly illustrates Hong Kong pragmatism. (Tai-Lok 2005). Other design solutions included: makeshift wall partition, makeshift curtain, sheeting for a wire clothes rack and lining on a trolley.

These wide and varied uses illustrate how versatile the fabric is and also highlights the resourcefulness of the Hong Kong people. All these variations of the RWB exemplifies the spirit of Hong Kong as it “materialises [the] collective creativity of Hong Kong industrial design.” (Hong Kong: Arcadia Press 2006, cited by Liu 2011, pp.16). One of the more fascinating functions of the plastic was its appropriation as a canvas.

In the twisting maze of Pok Fu Lam village I happened across these typographic banners written by an elderly man. All this is evidence that the people of Hong Kong utilise the RWB plastic in a multiplicity of design solutions which reveal their collective ingenuity.

Not only does the RWB demonstrate the creativity of Hong Kong but it also represents the resilience of its residents. When I was younger I would hear stories from my grandparents about their struggle to support a family of seven. My grandfather had two jobs and my grandmother stayed a home to look after the children. They lived in a tiny apartment in Shau Kei Wan but never complained about their situation. They accepted it as the cards they were dealt but the same time, never stopped working hard for their children. The attitude displayed in them is reflected in this quote by Chin Wan (2005), comparing the RWB to the people of Hong Kong:

“the red-white-blue so commonly seen at the border of China is like the Chinese junk gliding across Victoria Harbour, signifying the nomadic uprootedness of the Hong Kong people, at the same time however, it also symbolises the paradoxical contradiction of their outlook in life — a quiet acceptance of their fate but also an obstinate will to strive for something better.”

This idea is also suggested by designer Stanley Wong (2012) otherwise known as ‘anothermountainman’ who says:

“The character and personality of this material is part of the city. It’s tough, durable, and possesses a ‘never give up’ attitude.”

What these quotes show is something I witnessed in my observation of candy-striped awnings and roofs. I came across yellow and pastel variations of the plastic then realised they were actually severely sun bleached. Weather-beaten, ripped and frayed, polyurethane tarp still managed to protect what was underneath from the sun and rain (although just). Even when the tartan bags were worn to the end of their functional life and tearing at the seams, they were repaired to be used again. Spotting RWB bags with stitched sides and patchwork was not uncommon. It is through this that the cheap and durable fabric becomes a perfect “metaphor for endurance and triumph over hardship” (Ng 2009 pp. 85). It struggles but succeeds to fulfil its purpose in taxing conditions. Not only that, the act of reparation also exemplifies this ‘obstinate will’ in the people of Hong Kong to surpass the odds.

Over time, the red-white-blue plastic has shifted from a travel solution to a vital aspect of life and culture in Hong Kong. Not only does the RWB represent the migratory and cross-border roots of Hong Kong citizens but it embodies their social culture, creative innovation, and resilient spirit. From the above it is clear that the red-white-blue has come to reflect the identity of the Hong Kong people in its different utilisations seen throughout history.

By Wilson Leung | Flickr album

A visual communicator studying in his third year at the University of Technology, Sydney. Likes long walks to Maxim’s Cakes, curry fish balls and seeing dogs being walked on the street.

References:

1. Harter, U. 2005 ‘China Striped’, S. Wong (ed.) redwhiteblue — here/there/everywhere (Volume 1), mccm creations, Hong Kong, pp. n/a.
2. Meigs, D. 2012, ‘Re-stitching the fabric of torn lives’, China Daily (USA), 3rd August, accessed 22nd February 2017, <http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-08/03/content_15643715.htm>.
3. Ng, J. 2009, Paradigm City: Space, Culture, and Capitalism in Hong Kong, SUNY Press, pp. 84–87, accessed 23rd February, <https://books.google.com.au/books?id=DLbbYSK2jKgC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=%22red+white+blue%22+tote+culture+hong+kong&source=bl&ots=cDGv_UHGq-&sig=_FObxi8T5HQhTVKJuqcC6TPLN4Y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpnJ2C16fSAhXBn5QKHSRGDTA4ChDoAQhFMAg#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
4. Poon, L. 2016, ‘The Roots of Hong Kong’s Identity Are in Its Back Alleys’, City Lab, 15th July, accessed 20th February 2017, <http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/07/the-roots-of-hong-kongs-identity-are-in-its-back-alleys/491258/>.
5. Tailok, L. 2005 ‘The Story of Hong Kong ‘Red-White-and-Blue’ S. Wong (ed.) redwhiteblue — here/there/everywhere (Volume 1), mccm creations, Hong Kong, pp. n/a.
6. Taylor, M. & Inclan-Valadez, C. n.d., ‘Living at Density: Voices of Hong Kong Residents’, LSE Cities, accessed 24th February 2017, <https://lsecities.net/media/objects/articles/living-at-density/en-gb/>.
7. Turner, M. 2005 ‘Reading between the lines’ S. Wong (ed.) redwhiteblue — here/there/everywhere (Volume 2), mccm creations, Hong Kong, pp. n/a.
8. Wan, C. 2005 ‘An Alternative History of Red-White-and-Blue’, S. Wong (ed.) redwhiteblue — here/there/everywhere (Volume 1), mccm creations, Hong Kong, pp. n/a.
9. Ying, L. 2011, ‘RED-WHITE-BLUE AND HONG KONG INSTALLATION ART’, PhD Thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, accessed 23rd February 2017, <http://commons.ln.edu.hk/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=vs_etd>.