September 07, 2019, 03:24 AM
Schools in Hong Kong re-opened on Monday, Sept. 2.
But that did not stop young protesters in secondary schools from joining anti-government protests on the streets.
Students form human chain
Students voluntarily boycotted classes, as organisers have estimated that as many as 10,000 students from 200 schools took part in demonstrations, and formed human chains to draw attention to the "five demands".
In particular, a photo from one of these human chains has quickly become an emblem of youthful innocence -- on the brink of being lost.
The no opposite sex contact photo
Two students -- one male and one female -- were captured not holding hands, but holding onto the ends of a pen together instead as they formed part of a human chain to show their solidarity as one.
Both students are from The Church of Christ in China (CCC) Ming Yin College.
The human chain, formed in Tin Shui Wan in New Territories, was extended with the participation of other students from the Holy Trinity College, which is an all-girls school.
"Pen zone"
After the photo appeared online, memes quickly sprung up playing off the image of the embarrassed students, as Internet culture in Hong Kong has been nothing but lively.
https://twitter.com/HighlandPaddyHK/status/1168870873622704129
"Umbrella zone"
Soon after the emergence of the original picture, dubbed "pen zone", another photograph emerged of two students of the opposite sex holding on to both ends of a foldable umbrella.
The picture was dubbed the "umbrella zone".
After #penzoned, here comes umbrella-zoned. #antielab #CaptionThis #followbackhongkong
— Jeromy-Yu Chan ARAD (@jeromyu) September 4, 2019
Cc @9GAG pic.twitter.com/pgAJwc1KoB
Apparently, holding on to something together while forming a human chain is not that uncommon.
The object can range from what appears to be paper:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2CGXMBJVR-/
To a full-blown umbrella:
https://twitter.com/karmin19340441/status/1169593992125698048
Masked high school students hold a folded umbrella as they form a link with other students and alumni in a "school human chain rally" in Hong Kong's Tuen Mun district on September 5, 2019. (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images)
But not all secondary school students were embarrassed to hold hands.
Image via Twitter
Cute.
Students' protests continue
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill -- which sparked the protests back in June -- on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
But protesters were not satisfied with the concession, saying it was "too little, too late", and insisting that all "five demands" have to be met.
Students have continued to gather and form a human chain on Friday, Sept. 6, to make their stance known.
Students and alumni of skls in Kowloon Tong, including elite skls La Salle and Maryknoll, gathered to form a human chain to press home the #antiELAB demands. The chain went all the way down Ho Tung Road, Oxford Road & La Salle Road. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/CEct92O1xb
— Frances Sit (@frances_sit) September 6, 2019
Top image adapted via Stand News & 9gag
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