In all the nationalist – whoops, I mean internationalist – hyperbole leading up to the Beijing Olympic Games, one aspect was curiously absent from Hong Kong’s contribution: Hong Kong.

All around the Fragrant Harbor there are product placements aplenty from global sponsors who’ve branded everything in sight and offered it for sale – not to mention all the parallel campaigns piggy-backing off the excitement by pushing variations on anything vaguely athletic and international; and the space that hasn’t been turned into an advert has likely been stickered by our government in their head-in-the-sand deference and unconditional worship of the five rings currently floating over Beijing. To that I raise this challenge: How can we, as Hong Kongers with a number of Olympic and Paralympic representatives – not to mention two of the world’s most progressive and cleanest equestrian venues – celebrate the Games beyond our current toadying to Beijing?

To lay the foundation, bc introduces you to Honghong and Kongkong: two proud fuwa representing Hong Kong’s tradition and splendour. And here at the Hong Kong Olympic Games we say,

Honghong Kongkong Huanhuan Yingying Nini!

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