Photography contest launched to catch mainlanders in the act

[Jar Jar Binks]

Photography contest launched to catch mainlanders in the act

Netizens say competition is in response to call for visitors to ‘pee and poop in Hong Kong’s streets’

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 01 May, 2014, 2:31pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 01 May, 2014, 6:40pm

Lo Wei [email protected]

Netizens launched a photography contest yesterday in response for a call to mainlanders to "pee and poop in Hong Kong's streets". Photo: Felix Wong

A group of netizens today launched a photography competition to capture mainlanders excreting in public in Hong Kong as large numbers of visitors are expected at the start of the “golden week” holiday.

Event organiser Leung Kam-shing and about six other netizens announced the launch in Mong Kok pedestrian zone.

“We are doing this in response to mainland netizens’ calling on mainlanders to come and pee and poop in Hong Kong’s streets,” Leung said.

He added that participants should persuade offenders against the unhygienic behavior before taking photos or videos. Over 800 people have already clicked “attend” in the event on Facebook.

During today’s announcement a quarrel broke out between a mainland man and the netizens. They were soon separated by police.

One mainland tourist, a mother, said it is understandable that children needed relief urgently and cannot control themselves.

“I’m sure they must be in very urgent situations when they do that, but they could have found a more discreet place,” said Pan Lingling, 31, from Zhejiang, who is on holiday in Hong Kong with her two-year-old daughter.

A row has grown after a video and images of the toddler urinating on busy Mong Kok street appeared on social media last week. The images have drawn millions of comments and reposts on Weibo alone, while heated debate raging on both Facebook and Twitter.

The images are seen as the latest example of the culture clash between Hong Kong people and the flood of mainland visitors that has triggered anti-mainlander protests.

After the images went viral, an online campaign was launched to urge mainland parents to take their children to Hong Kong and let them urinate in the streets to familiarise the locals with “natural” functions.

A commentary in the overseas edition of People’s Daily questioned whether the bystanders who captured the boy’s act on camera had acted properly, while saying there was a need for “mutual civilisation and understanding” between tourists and Hongkongers.

This week, Commerce Secretary Greg So Kam-leung urged Hongkongers to teach mainlanders manners instead of pointing accusatory fingers at them.

In an article carried by seven Chinese-language newspapers, So clarified remarks he made earlier that urged Hongkongers to “make allowances” for such behaviour.

So said he was not asking residents to do nothing about visitors’ behaviour, but to show respect and help to educate them.“People should be understanding. I certainly don’t agree with urinating in the streets,” So wrote. “It’s not that we should put up with what’s wrong, but that we must deal with it rationally.”