Hong Kong, China
Che shows his face at a public protest.
This photo comes to us courtesy of Kent St. John, a senior travel writer and blogger at GoNomad.
It also has the distinction of being our first reader submitted Che Spotting! Go, Kent!
Kent spotted this t-shirt Che on a protester in Hong Kong. He snapped the picture near Hong Kong’s Victoria Park back in 2005.
At the time, Hong Kong was nearing the 10th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule and crowds were taking to the streets to protest living in a Communist state. Instead, they wanted a return to democracy.
Kent took the picture, he said, because he was surprised at how Che’s face jumped out at him even in the midst of Hong Kong’s protesters, crowds and millions.
He also thought it ironic that those who were protesting FOR democracy and AGAINST Communism were the ones sporting the Che tees.
After his time in Hong Kong, Kent spent a few days in Macao, where he happened to spy a similar shot in a local paper there, proving, he said, that there are more Che watchers out there than we think!
Kent is Che Spotter and a Globe Trotter. Keep an eye on his blog, Be Our Guest.
It is quite possible that the protester pictured here is none other than the outspoken member of Hong Kong’s parliament, Leung Kwok-hung, known commonly as “Long Hair.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leung_Kwok-hung
Long Hair, who was featured in the film Personal Che – a great doco on Che’s many manifestations around the world – is rarely seen without a Che T-shirt on.
Hong Kong was not democratic it was a British colony. Elections under colonial rule are just as fraudulent as elections under a one-party dictatorship.
Communism and multi party democracy do not contradict each other, in fact, it is precisely due to the lack of democratic institutions in China that it has never been “communist” or “socialist.”
Thanks for lending your expertise! It’s always interesting to learn new details.