Instagram Pier, Hong Kong
In the city full of high-rise buildings, pressure and control, you can’t imagine there are some places nearby to escape from the above. One of it is so amazing! In black and white words, it’s a cargo working area with signs warning people not to enter the area. In fact, no one cares about what you do so you can ride a bike, sleep, chat with friends, take photos, do nothing (which is almost impossible in Hong Kong as hardworking is overemphasised) and anything else as they like. What does exist there is the true freedom with respect, and the other name of the place ‘Instagram Pier’ created by people.
The government does know many people regard there as the best public space in Hong Kong, so they plan to make a part of it ‘real’ by redesigning the area as a seaside park with fence. What is controversial between the government and the citizens is that the place seems to be controlled and ‘invaded’: it will be a park decided and ruled by the government and the experts (say architects, engineers…) chosen by the bureaucratic giant. The fences surrounding the area is already the first step. And then a series of unnecessary rules and the security guards who will monitor the citizens.
You can say what the government does is for people’s good, like fences to ensure people’s safety and rules to make a better and even enjoyable environment. You can say, in this perspective, that you shouldn’t blame the government when they make a space for people. But we need to rethink if everything should be planned and controlled. Sometimes if you want to make something better, doing nothing is better than putting (excessive) efforts. So there is a Chinese philosophy called ‘Wu Wei’ (無為). Do you see more and more people learning how to protect themselves and managing a place well without any park rules? If you still think there is room for improvement, it is the law issue that they should remove the warning signs, it is the objective issue that the government should realize they’re solving citizens’ problems so they need to talk to the people in Instagram Pier, to see what people are doing. That’s it.
