National Day Extravaganza

October 1st has just gone but all of Hong Kong warmly and resolutely and enthusiastically and revolutionarily welcomed the grand celebration of the great and noble motherland.

Pui O’s many newly(?) converted communist party supporters came out in force, covering our sleepy backwater in red flags. It was all very festive.

Dominating the festivities was a big, nay, enormous poster of Mao Zedong and his underlings, complete with LCD red Chinese characters congratulating the communist party on its great victory over evil freedoms. In front of Tiananmen Gate all the ecstatically happy minorities had gathered under his phlegmatic gaze, dancing and smiling as if their lives depended on it.

The Yi, the Hui, the Miao, yes even the Tibetans had been allowed in, dancing energetically to welcome in yet another year of excellent Han/communist stewardship.

I couldn’t see any Han in the poster, but maybe they were represented by Mao himself? Also they are of course not a minority, they don’t have a national costume (in other similar posters they are often shown wearing suits and ties) and they don’t dance much, if you don’t count the aunties dancing around every open space in the mornings and evenings in public squares in all the cities and towns, of course. But no one pays to look at their dancing.

I couldn’t help but notice one significant minority missing though: Me! Whitey! Don’t I live in China too? Grrrrrr

中國國慶日 – Jung Gok gok heng yat (China National Day)
十月一號 – Sap yuet yat hou (October 1st)
跳舞 – Tiu mou (dance)