Seemingly facing the flags of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the statue of nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen is itself overlooked by the hovering presence of the nearby mainland Liaison Office’s distinctive sphere-topped office building. Photographed six months before government-proposed extradition legislation that triggered mass demonstrations, the statue itself was later graffitied amid widespread anti-government street protests. This formal scene does not anticipate the outbreak of Covid-19 and the momentous introduction of the mainland-imposed national security legislation to ensure that in the future only “patriots will run Hong Kong”.
民族領袖孫中山的塑像看似面向中國國旗和香港特別行政區區旗，倒被附近座落中聯辦獨特的圓頂辦公樓俯瞰。攝於政府送中條例風波引發大規模示威之前六個月，照片中雕塑完好無損，但在大型的反政府街頭抗議中被塗鴉。從這個景象裡，未能預計疫情的爆發，以及由中國大陸推行的國安法的重大實施，去確保將來只有「愛國者治港」。
Photo: John Batten