Affordable China Tours: September 2014

(Sept. 30, 2014) Hong Kong is one of the world's easiest major cities to get around. It, however, changed recently because of protests taking place in the city. since being occupied by demonstrators, traffic has been paralyzed in major areas of Hong Kong. major roads have been closed to vehicle traffic, though largely left open for pedestrians.

The areas affacted:

In Hong Kong Island's Admiralty and Wanchai districts, Gloucester Road, Harcourt Road and Connaught Road Central have been closed to vehicle traffic, but remain open to pedestrians.

The area outside SOGO shopping mall in Causeway Bay, including Yee Wo Street and Percival Street, as well as the public square Edinburgh Place in Central, are also protest zones. Various streets in these areas have also been closed to vehicle traffic, but remain open to pedestrians.

Protests have spread across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon, with sections of Argyle Street and Nathan Road in Mong Kok occupied by protestors.

The size of the protests in these districts tends to grow at night, as more residents join after school and work

Protest Tourism

Meanwhile, the protests have proven to be an attraction for some visitors.

Many tourists have taken to walking to and through protest zones independently, though tourists on private tours around protest areas have been seen.

Locals, tourists and supporters of the protestors have taken to "sightseeing" and looking for photo ops on elevated pedestrian bridges over roads near the Central Government Offices in Admiralty, where the largest protest (in terms of number of people) is taking place.

The idea of Hong Kong protests as tourist attractions might seem surreal, but it isn't entirely new.