I liked this sign before I even knew what it meant:
NO gongneng zubie! |
(Source: dookaz, BachLau on Twitter)
Of course, I knew it was saying "No [something]!" but it took some effort before I figured out that it meant "No functional constituencies!"
Perfect! It can go right in the gallery with these other examples of wordless bureaucratic-speak from the unparalleled world of Hong Kong civil society:
(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)
Related posts
In the January 2010 Hong Kong demonstrations, black- and white-costumed protesters with placards that said that "functional constituencies trample workers" reminded me of commedia dell'arte characters.
(See Black and White in HK )
Large protests in Hong Kong have been occuring in Hong Kong for decades. Street demonstrations at the beginning of 2010 exhibited a new high in diversity, expression, and energy.
(See #0101hk: Visual Imagery of Hong Kong Protests Jan 1 2010 )
The universal sign for "forbidden." If only it were that easy . . . .
(See the No Drones Network webiste. )
At least when I lived there -- 17 years ago, so quite possibly out of date -- functional constituencies referred to the fact that a subset of members of the Legislative Counsel were elected only by members of certain jobs or industries such as finance, textiles manufacturing, real estate, etc. Thus a relatively small guild with a narrow range of interests could choose a representative for HK at large. So I think the sign is advocating a more broadly representative form of government - though it doesn't quite have the same ring as "min zhu wan sui."
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