IT could have been Hong Kong’s most melodic protest.
Scores of musicians, and their supporters, took their instruments along to ride the city’s underground trains on Saturday.
The demonstration came after a schoolgirl carrying a Chinese harp and a young cellist told local newspapers that they had separately been stopped from riding the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) because their instruments were deemed to be too large.
The reports caused public outrage, prompting music lover Mavis Lung, who plays the hammered Chinese dulcimer, to launch the protest.
‘Washing machines allowed’
“We strongly oppose the selective enforcement of bylaws by the MTR,” said a statement on the Facebook page of the protest organisers.
“Grey goods traders have been allowed to travel washing machines or other oversized items. Students or musicians were fined for entering a station carrying their musical instruments. Musicians and music students in Hong Kong, unite! Protect our right to use the MTR!”
Grey goods traders, or parallel traders, purchase products in Hong Kong for resale in mainland China for profit.
Under rules announced in 2009, intended in part to curb these traders, each passenger may carry only one piece of luggage, as long as it does not exceed total dimensions (length, width and height) of 170cm (5.5ft).
The length of any one side cannot exceed 130cm.
But activists say traders carrying enormous suitcases and cardboard boxes are routinely allowed to travel on the MTR, Hong Kong’s most popular form of public transport.
‘Interrogated and warned’
In late September, student cellist Calvin Ho told the South China Morning Post that he was stopped and confronted by MTR staff during a train journey with his instrument.
The case was measured by a station official and declared to be 4cm too long.
Mr Ho was quoted as saying he was subsequently interrogated and issued a letter warning of a possible HKD$2,000 ($258; £170) fine.
Without enough money to travel to his intended destination by taxi, he decided to board the underground at another station. This time, he succeeded.
Mr Ho, a student at Baptist University, has found an ally in Richard Bamping, a high-profile cellist at the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
‘Crushing classical music’
After hearing the story, Mr Bamping, 46, confronted an MTR official by phone.
“She confirmed everything and said cellos and large instruments are not allowed,” he told BBC News. “It was a shock to hear we were no longer welcome.”
“It is really awful to do that to musicians, especially students. They can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars every day on taxi fare. I can’t afford that. This policy could really crush classical music in Hong Kong.”
Mr Bamping, a Manchester native, said that for more than two decades, he has been carrying his cello on the Hong Kong underground with no problems.
‘Ridiculous response’
“Are we really a danger to the public? There have been no instrument-related injuries or deaths on the MTR,” he added.
The principal cellist said large instruments are allowed on the underground systems in Washington DC, London, Paris, Moscow and cities across mainland China.
“This response is ridiculous. It is begging ridicule. That’s why we are making noise.”
In response to the public uproar, the MTR Corporation has begun a two-week public consultation to review rules on the size of objects that can be carried onto its rail network. (Juliana Liu)
Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-34440974
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