Hong Kong’s Political Public Space: the Mall

Impact of Protests on Malls Hong Kong is marked by political turmoil in the year 2019 after an extradition bill caused an uproar of anti-Chinese protests. The escalating scale of demonstrations has pushed the usage of malls beyond commercial and infrastructural, and they have become the backdrop for gathering, rallying and sometimes even brutal violence.

Here are some critical moments for the four malls we studied over the past months of unrest: 1. Harbour City 海港城

After the Chinese national flag was torn off the flagpole in front of Harbour City in August, five separate pro-nationalist groups came together to resurrect the flag. According to a spokesperson, these groups “are very angry at the Hong Kong independence mobs who openly challenge the country’s (China’s) sovereignty and the bottom line. We will doe everything to protect Hong Kong’s homeland.”

2. Festival Walk 又一城

On September 26th, over 300 students from 22 secondary schools gathered in the atrium at Festival Walk to host a musical protest against the extradition bill. Chanting slogans such as “Freedom Hong Kong” and “Five Demands, Not One Less,” the students were subjected to jeering, profanities and spitting from some onlookers from the upper balconies. Following the staged musical protest, the crowd moved to join a larger rally going on that evening.

Mall spaces, developed with profit-driven incentive, were once financially successful by gathering people of diverse interests under the universal umbrella of shopping. They have since become reformed as critical political sites for citizens to demonstrate their personal beliefs.

3. Pacific Place 太古广场

Pacific Place was a very early stage for protest congregation since the early days of the 2019 movement. Its iconicity was cemented when a protestor committed suicide for the cause by jumping off from the roof of the mall. The mall was also a space of refuge for protestors in early June, when they congregated inside to escape tear gas. Unlike malls in other parts of the city, Pacific Place was not infiltrated by the police.

4. Hysan Place 希慎广场

Causeway Bay has continued to be an epicenter of protest demonstration during 2019, thanks to its high visibility, large park, and its pre-existing role as a popular weekend neighborhood to hang out in. The increased activity has had negative consequences for the fleet of malls in the district. Hysan Development has undertaken measurements to compensate for the low retail sales, enticing tenants to stay with increased promotional activities, cutting rent prices, and postponing rental payments.

The mall has always been seen as a symbol of the certitude of Hong Kong’s financial glory. Because of its innovative and successful attributes, including its prolific integration with the city’s transportation infrastructure and its wide featuring of international brands, the Hong Kong mall typology has been a source to emulate in more recent mainland Chinese commercial developments. It is therefore ironic that such a symbol of financial prosperity has become an urban icon for civic unrest.

During this time of unrest, the symbiotic role between the mall and the city has been tested. In light of protests, mall management will close properties to stem property damage, shutting down its capacity as a public circulatory vessel for the city.

Nevertheless, perhaps the mall’s insertion into the

spotlight signals its qualities as a public space. Despite

being developed by private enterprises, the malls in Hong Kong must navigate a delicate line, balancing between the interests of the corporate, the government and the everyday citizen. It seems that its popularity as a platform for civic congregation and disobedience betrays its role as a

“public forum” in the psyche of the residents of the city.

With changes in the political and financial climate, the future of the mall typology in Hong Kong is still difficult to forecast. While our research in “Learning from Hong Kong, A Tale of the Mall City” has demonstrated that residents have a wide opinion of malls, from enjoyment to loathing, it is clear that they are critically cemented as an inevitable fixture of urban life. The friction between their complex ownerships and userships keeps them at the forefront of political activity. This condition, mixed with the mall’s convenient ubiquity and strategic marketing, means they are bound to remain relevant public spaces to watch.