With many wanting to support democracy within Britain’s borders, Hong Kongers have introduced their unique protest technique
Hong Kong groups are calling for support to the ‘yellow economy’ in the UK, encouraging Hongkongers to back pro-democracy businesses, also known as ‘yellow shops’.
Justitia Hong Kong, a group for UK-based Hongkongers, have created a map highlighting ‘yellow’ and ‘blue’ businesses across the country.
While yellow businesses support the pro-democracy movement, blue businesses support the Chinese government and are boycotted by protesters.
The ‘colouring’ of political views came about in Hong Kong during the 2014 Occupy Movement, a series of protests demanding universal suffrage, and continued into recent protests sparked by the proposed extradition law in June 2019.
Maps like this have become a popular way for Hongkonger’s to politicise their money, something Justitia Hong Kong wants to bring to the UK.
Eliz Cheung*, a London-based ‘yellow’ hairdresser, said the yellow economy is a way for Hongkonger’s to vote with their money, pledging to give special offers to struggling Hongkongers.
"The yellow economy is a way for Hongkonger's to vote with their money"
The map currently shows 48 yellow businesses across England.
The UK government introduced a BNO [British National Overseas] visa on January 29th, a route for Hongkongers born before 1997 to live in the UK and later become citizens. Around 5,000 have already applied, many already residing in Britain, and around 300,000 will have resettled in the next five years, the government estimates.
JHK’s founder and creator of the map, Terry Leng, believes the number of yellow businesses will continue to increase along with the quickly-growing diaspora of UK-based Hongkongers.
*Eliz Cheung asked to remain anonymous
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