DAYS OF BEING YOUNG & RESTLESS: THE UMBRELLA REVOLUTION IN HONG KONG / Part 1

Not the real sit-in. These are Filipino domestic workers
enjoying their Sunday outing in Central.
The real demonstration is
taking place in the streets below.

We knew it wouldn't last, but we were surprised that it even lasted this long. The so-called "Umbrella Revolution" was a civil rights movement in Hong Kong which started in late September 2014 as the Hong Kong people's response to the lack of autonomy as to their choice of government. 

Ever since Hong Kong's return from the United Kingdom of Great Britain to the Central Kingdom of People's Republic of China (has there been a more ironic name to one of the world's most autocratic nations?) in 1997, the Special Autonomous Region has been governed by a series of Chief Executives appointed and approved by Beijing. The Hong Kong people did not have much of a say, and that looks to continue in 2017 when the next election takes place. 

That was the bone of contention for thousands of Hong Kong's students, who were hoping for more autonomy and the dream of universal suffrage. The demonstrations began as an extension of the Occupy Central movement but spread to include more sites. The sit-in was opposed with excessive force by the HK police (who used tear gas, pepper spray and physical violence) and that galvanised the movement into something more widespread.

My visit to HK was originally to attend the HK International Piano Competition, but the event was postponed to 2016 because of the demonstrations which took place a stone's throw away from HK City Hall. Here are some photos I took on 26 October 2014 on my way to the Thank You Recitals hosted by the Chopin Society of Hong Kong.

With the dismantling of all demonstration sites, the young agitators may be down (for now), but definitely not out.  

The demonstration on Harcourt Road in full swing.
Its actually more peaceful and quiet than it looks.
I dare call it Hong Kong's latest tourist attraction.

Umbrellas have been replaced by tents
and camping equipment.

Thousands of goodwill messages
in the form of Post-Its.

The iconic Umbrella Man.

...and Umbrella Woman!

Taking a breather.

The advertisements in Central add a
surrealistic feel to the whole scene.

Present Chief Executive C.Y.Leung
(we know what he'll be called in Hokkien)
was a lightning rod for the people's ire.
The sign says something like,
"Rather dead with a voice than to live in silence". 

The carnage just outside City Hall.
That's how close the demonstrators got to
Vladimir Ashkenazy and Co. 

Positively My Favourite CD Shop in Hong Kong: PERCIVAL RECORDS

Make no mistake about it: Hong Kong is still one of the best places in the world to buy classical CDs. Unlike Singapore, where CD shops have gone the way of the typewriter and LaserDiscs, the business of CD retail is still thriving, judging by the number of independent retailers in existence. This is positively my favourite CD shop in Hong Kong: Percival Records, on 35 Wing Kut Street, off Des Voeux Road Central.

I first discovered Percival Records by accident in 1990, while traipsing through the narrow alley-ways of Central in search of bargains. Then it was a musty little shop with wooden cabinets and classical CDs placed behind glass, but it had the lowest prices: HKD 90 (full-price) and HKD 45 (mid-price) of all the shops in Hong Kong. The range was excellent, covering all the mainstream labels as well as some independent labels, but arranged in a haphazard manner. The only drawback was that it did not accept credit cards then. Suddenly it disappeared during the mid to late 1990s, to be replaced by a generic costume jewellery shop, for which Wing Kut Street was famous.

Fortunately for me and fellow CD lovers, Percival Records returned with a major face-lift sometime after the turn of the millennium. The wooden cabinets are gone, replaced by face-on displays which were far more visually appealing and most tantalising. The CDs are still arranged by label rather than by composer or genre, but most titles could be located with the help of the two sisters who run the shop.

This is a family-managed business started by the Shiu family in 1977, and it continues to be run the family's second generation. Both Shiu sisters speak good English and are very polite and helpful. More importantly, credit cards are now accepted, which means thousands of dollars could be readily blown buying CDs in a happy spree! 

Here is a partial list of titles which I bought on this trip:

Vladimir Horowitz in Carnegie Hall 

(Sony, 41 CDs and 1 DVD):

HKD 818 (approximately SGD 136)

Decca Sound The Analogue Years 

(50 CDs): HKD 830 (SGD 138)

Vladimir Ashkenazy 50 Years on Decca 

(50 CDs): HKD 850 (SGD 141) 

Verdi Requiem / Barenboim (Decca, 2 CDs)

HKD 115 (SGD 19)

Tyberg Symphony No.2 (Naxos)

HKD 55 (SGD 9.20)

These were significantly cheaper than all the other CD retailers I had time to visit. Classical CDs are now way down the list at the HMV shops, and there is little reason to view its pitiful (and still expensive) display. How the mighty have fallen.

Here's how to get to 35 Wing Kut Street. It is one of the pedestrian-only side alleys off Des Voeux Road Central. From Central, take a westbound tram and get off the first stop after passing the Queen Victoria Street Central Market. Then walk a short 50 metres (past Gilman's Bazaar) and take a sharp left into Wing Kut Street. Percival Records is the second shop on the left, beside a popular and over-priced noodle shop. 

Happy browsing and spending!