I liked this sign before I even knew what it meant:
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| 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:
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| Leisure and Cultural Services Department (Hong Kong) No playing of remote controlled model car No dogs allowed No damage of plants No hawking. Offenders will be prosecuted No drying of linen and clothes No skateboarding Please keep clean No cycling |
(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At least when I lived there -- 17 years ago, so quite possibly out of date -- functional constituencies referred to the fact that a subset of members of the Legislative Counsel were elected only by members of certain jobs or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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