Get The Red Out: China's National Day

Flags adorning Nathan Road in Kowloon.

The People's Republic celebrated its 60th birthday today. It was a public holiday here in Hong Kong, and I was anticipating watching some pomp and ceremony throughout the day. But other than the big fireworks show this evening -- which I missed -- there wasn't too much to see.

I missed the fireworks because of my brilliant idea to watch the show from the waterfront in Causeway Bay. I didn't want to fight the inevitable huge crowds in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, so I thought I'd try farther down the coastline. Unfortunately, when you share the city with 7 million other people, chances are good that a lot of them will also come up with the same brilliant plan. When I arrived, I had to inch my way through the people packed shoulder-to-shoulder along the sidewalks and ended up missing everything except the last 10 seconds.

Well, I doubt that I would have been able to see much anyway, because the wind managed to blow all the smoke toward us.

A few people passed up the festivities in order to hold a candlelight vigil for increased human rights in China.

Over in Victoria Park, there was a National Day Carnival, which featured giant illuminated displays and lanterns.

They all make the perfect backdrop for your peace-sign pictures.


Most of the displays were in honor of China and its progress in the world, such as this rocket.

I gathered that for most Hong Kongers, National Day was simply a day off work. I've learned that most local people don't really consider themselves Chinese, as in mainland Chinese. They see themselves simply as Hong Kong -- a separate entity that has nothing to do with China, nor with their former colonizers, the U.K.

Also, I think more people are preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is Saturday, 3 October. It's a time for mooncakes, traveling, and family reunions. It is also, coincidentally, a time for lanterns and illuminated displays, so I plan on returning to Victoria Park over the weekend to see if anything new will have been added for the holiday.