''Lady Liberty Hong Kong'' () was a statue that was created during the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...

, designed by users from the

LIHKG LIHKG ( zh, t=連登, cy=Lìhn dāng) is a multi-category forum website based in Hong Kong. The website has gained popularity since the launch in 2016, and is often referred to as the Hong Kong version of Reddit. Threads with more up-votes and r ...

forum. Created in August 2019, the statue was publicly displayed in multiple locations before being hauled to the top of

Lion Rock Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, between Kowloon Tong of Kowloon and Tai Wai of the New Territories, and is high. The peak consists of granite covered sparsely by shr ...

, intended as the statue's "final resting place"; however, the statue was vandalised and removed by unknown assailants the next day.

Inception

In August 2019, a design team came up with nine design proposals for the statue. An online vote was held on LIHKG, leading the team to select the "Goddess of democracy" design, which was modelled after a female demonstrator whose eye was allegedly ruptured by a

bean bag round A bean bag round, also known by its trademarked name flexible baton round, is a type of baton round, fired from a shotgun, and used for less lethal apprehension of suspects. Description The bean bag round consists of a small fabric "pillow" ...

shot by the police. The team launched a crowdfunding campaign, which successfully raised a total of in 6 hours, surpassing its goal. Roughly was spent on the statue, and the remaining was donated to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund in support of the protest movement. The team involved in the production included: * Core team of 15 people, 5 people * Graphic design team, 30 people * 3D design team, 10 people * 3D printing team, 30 people * Metal structure team, 10 people * Sculpture production team, 25 people * Counter-powered driver, 5 people * Transportation and site assembly team of 20 people * 8,000

netizen The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

s who participated in the draft design vote

Design concept

The design concept of ''Lady Liberty Hong Kong'' was inspired by a typical demonstrator's outfit: a yellow helmet, eye mask and a gas mask; the right hand holds an umbrella, while the left hand holds a banner with the slogan "

Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" (; also translated variously) is a slogan used by social movements in Hong Kong. The slogan was first used in 2016 by Hong Kong Indigenous spokesman Edward Leung as his campaign theme and slogan fo ...

", a commonly used slogan in the protest movement. The team has stated the statue symbolised "the unparalleled bravery of Hongkongers in voicing out amidst herain of bullets and tear gas in the prolonged anti-extradition bill movement".

Exhibition

The statue was first publicly displayed at the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...

on 31 August. The statue was also displayed at the "Anti-Abusive and Anti-authoritarian Rally" held at

Chater Garden Chater Garden, located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, as is the adjacent Chater Road. History In the early days of British ru ...

on 6 September and was temporarily moved to the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the f ...

afterwards. On 13 October, the statue was hauled to the top of Lion Rock by a team of 32 volunteers, including 16 professional climbers. The organisers had intended Lion Rock as the statue's "final resting place", as "a symbolic gesture to infuse a refreshed mindset for the fight for democracy." However, on the next morning, the statue was toppled and vandalised with red paint by unknown assailants.

References

External links

3D printing files for the Hong Kong Statue of Democracy
{{Public art in Hong Kong 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests 2019 sculptures Liberty symbols Statues in Hong Kong Vandalized works of art

Inception

Design concept

Exhibition

See also

References

External links