Flags of All Nations*

(Washing are hung right next to a road. It makes for a good philosophical question: Are the clothes drying here already washed or are they to be cleaned after the drying?)

*Check out the last photo to learn why

For any place as populated as in Hong Kong, a backyard at home is a luxurious dream. For those living in an apartment, the vexation of hanging out the washing at the right time to catch the sunlight can be readily understood and actually felt.

Not being quite found in any non-Chinese places, hanging clothes in the street to dry on a bright sunny day are ubiquituous in Hong Kong and China. That effectively solves the problem of lacking space for drying the washing.

(All sorts of drying linens including a bedsheet and a tablecloth)

Of course, there is the cheating invention called the drying machine to accompany the washing machine. But the general wisdom is that drying under the sun is free, effective and, to make the arguement invincible, environmentally friendly.

So maybe for these reasons, hanging washing in the street has been made a juggernaut defying the risks of clothes being dirtied or stolen and the owners fined for HK$2,000 if caught.

(The post on the tree reads, "Hong Kong Government Warning: Hanging washing is prohibited and clothes found will be removed". The photo shows the power of civil disobedience)

For sure, people into this very particular habit are mostly in their 70s. It is not a surprise because they are just carrying on this old habit prevalent in their younger days.

Contrary to the belief of the government, these washing in the street are quite a sight to adorn the otherwise boring streetscape in some quieter corners near residential blocks where the hanging is more rampant. They add a sronger sense of a residential neighbourhood. And this old habit reminds us of the existence of the old generations among us both of which are to be treasured.

This is the true local character of Hong Kong.

(For the colourful scenes these washing make, they are also known in a rather gracious term, "flags of all nations")

Comments

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

New Low Prices

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Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

GX GARNERINGS

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