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Hong Kong through the eyes of rooftop rebels

Hong Kong’s rooftoppers show the political awakening and the revolution as captured by the young people behind it.

Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Rebel queen of the Hong Kong rooftopping and urban exploring scene, Airin T climbs above the city lights to terrifying heights. [Airin T / Al Jazeera]
By San San F Young
Published On 29 Aug 201629 Aug 2016
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Hong Kong – Two years since the umbrella became a symbol of revolution, Hong Kong’s youth have been at the forefront of political activism in the city. The 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement and the wider political awakening of a generation have been inspired and perpetuated by shared stories, artworks, photography, video, songs and slogans.

Hong Kong’s Rooftop Rebels

This energy affects all of Hong Kong’s young people – their friends are involved, their social media feeds are full of debate and calls to action.

Streets are decorated with politicised graffiti, and there’s a host of new youth leaders and political tribes to choose from.

For rooftoppers and urban explorers worldwide, breaking the rules and sharing their exploits online is simply part of the game, but for Hong Kong’s rooftoppers, defying the authorities and photographing adventures is informed by a deeper rebellion.

In this crowded city driven by financial markets, where every square foot has a monetary value, rooftopping and urban exploration are a reclaiming of public space and a rejection of the status quo. The rooftoppers’ jaw-dropping stunts and clandestine adventures on the tops of the city’s skyscrapers have not only made them internet stars but also allowed them to occasionally use that fame to make political statements.

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An image of rooftopper Airin T dangling a colonial flag perched above pro-democracy protests was a strong statement of solidarity with the fight to protect Hong Kong’s cultural identity against a creeping Beijing hegemony. It went viral.

Rooted in years of building tensions between China and Hong Kong, worsening wealth disparity, and worries of eroding press and individual freedoms, these rooftoppers – like other young creatives and activists – are showcasing their frustrations by creating their own imagery and by celebrating disobedience.

These images of and by rooftoppers Airin T, Andrew Tso, and Benjamin Y explore the trajectory from the Umbrella Movement to today’s increasing popularity for more “radical” localist politics where parties demand that the interests of Hong Kong’s people come first, and the territory’s autonomy and distinct Canton culture are defended. The rooftoppers explore with their cameras and smartphones, and these photographs show a side of the revolution as captured by the young people behind it.

Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Defiant protesters in 2014 stand their ground against police, masked, goggled and shielded behind umbrellas to avoid the pepper spray, giving the Umbrella Movement its name. [Benjamin Yuen / Al Jazeera]
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Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Airin blows a kiss to camera as she and Benjamin climb a ledge to relax - one of the few activities that is free for young people in the prohibitively expensive city. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
'Up here on the roof, it's peaceful. -You can come up here to think,' says Airin, perched above the buzz of Hong Kong's seven million residents. [Airin T / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
In an image that went viral in Hong Kong, Airin dangles from a ledge above pro-democracy protests with a colonial flag - a show of support in the fight to defend Hong Kong's cultural identity. [Airin T / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Young political candidate Leung Tin Kei's campaign in a February by-election saw thousands of youth united in support. His call for radical change and his localist policies of putting Hong Kongers first won him a surprising 66,000 votes - what many saw as proof of the rising power of localism. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
A moment from a stunt that made them famous; the awe-inspiring video of three rooftoppers climbing this spire went viral, dubbed 'the craziest selfie in the world', leaving thousands wondering who that blue-haired girl was. [Airin T / Al Jazeera]
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Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Airin poses on a rooftop with a yellow umbrella, a symbol of the movement. Umbrellas and yellow ribbons are now synonymous with the campaign for democracy and were worn around the world in solidarity - pro-government and police supporters, in contrast, wore blue ribbons to show their support. [Airin T / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Urb-ex on ground level, Airin explores an abandoned building said to be haunted by the ghosts of an old secret political prison. As she moves through the cells and corridors, she records with a GoPro camera. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Benjamin explores the roof of an older style building. In the futuristic city of gleaming skyscrapers of glass and clean lines, the city's characterful older districts - districts he is passionate about photographing and preserving - are often cleared for more profitable developments. [screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Edward Leung Tin Kei of the Hong Kong Indigenous party, and Wong Yeung-Tat of Civic Passion, share the stage in front of thousands of supporters. The two prominent localists want Hong Kong's autonomy and culture protected and local people to be put first, calling for radical change and an era of revolution. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
The busy shopping district of Mong Kok has been the epicentre of much of the youth-led movement. It was the site of the worst incidents in 2014 and the clashes of 2016. Every night sees Umbrella campaigners gathered to spread the word. Because of this, Mong Kok is under high surveillance with CCTVs in operation and heavy police patrols - with some notable localist activists banned from the area. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Street artworks outside the gates of the government complex reads 'We are HK', words that have appeared frequently since 2014 - the reinforcement of a national identity distinct to mainland China that many believe has been under attack. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
Airin is inspired to write the words: 'The future belongs to young people'. Next to it, by an unknown writer, someone has penned 'Hong Kong is building its own country', a localist slogan. [Screengrab / Witness / Al Jazeera]
Rooftop Rebels/ Please Do Not Use
From above, Airin looks down at what she calls 'robots' working every hour to try and afford the city's hugely expensive property, something she believes will never be possible for her and many of her generation. 'I don't want to be like them - what's life for?', she says. [Andrew Tso / Al Jazeera]


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