If you've been reading the news, you know what's happening in Hong Kong. And if you saw
giallo's thread from October 1, you know what the Umbrella Movement/Occupy Hong Kong protests were like at the beginning, when large parts of the city came to a standstill. Since then, the occupied zones have shrunk after police cleared roadblocks, but they've also become more entrenched. Here are some photos taken over the past few days.
ADMIRALTY
This is the core protest zone, located on the roads surrounding the government's headquarters. It has become a city within a city, completely self-organized with its own infrastructure, landmarks and neighbourhoods. You can read more about the urban space of the occupied zone
here.
MONGKOK
Mongkok is the crossroads of Hong Kong, a very dense, busy neighbourhood that is a meeting point for all walks of life. (It's also where I live.) Its occupation was never planned and came as a surprise to many. Unlike Admiralty, which is loosely overseen by student groups, Mongkok's protest zone is leaderless. It has also been besieged on many occasions by anti-Occupy thugs who have beat up protesters and destroyed their property. As a result it has a much edgier feel, but in some ways it's also more vital, because you have ordinary people coming together and taking part in the protest. There are always large groups of men standing around and debating politics in the street.