By Christopher B. Daly
Where will the new Hong Kong protests lead? Hard to say.
For decades, it has been widely assumed that if there were a serious blow delivered against the regime in China, it would fall at Tiananmen Square, the huge paved space in Beijing linking one of the ancient seats of power (the Forbidden City) and the current seat of power (the Great Hall of the People). Tiananmen, which was the site of the last serious challenge to the government in 1989, is tightly guarded by soldiers, undercover cops, and surveillance cameras.
But it may be that the government’s unsleeping gaze (like the Eye of Sauron) is looking in the wrong place. In faraway Hong Kong, young protesters are demanding the right to vote for their leaders — a demand that the regime in Beijing cannot possibly grant. Having taking Hong Kong back from the British in 1997, I believe that the Chinese have no intention of fulfilling their promise to allow Hong Kong residents to elect their leaders by 2017. The young demonstrators are challenging the government directly, which could force a showdown that will demand the world’s attention.
Follow the unfolding coverage in the NYTimes, the South China Morning Post, the Guardian, the BBC. Some terrific early photos are here at NYT.
Any other good sources, with independent, on-the-ground reporters and photographers?
Filed under: china, hong kong Tagged: China, hong kong, journalism, photojournalism
