Peng Yanhui always wanted long hair, and the 28-year-old Guangzhou resident, who works for a non-governmental educational organisation, was getting close to his ideal hairstyle. But Peng was to shave his Jackie Chan-style 'do as part of a protest against a 150 million yuan (HK$180 million) lighting project the city is planning for the banks of the Pearl River. The areas near Haixinsha Square, Ersha Island and the Bai E Tan 'bar street' have been earmarked for improved lighting, while a 15 x 400 metre LED screen is to be erected around Bai E Tan's Zhou Tou Zui pier. Peng and others came up with the 'brain is brighter' campaign, which included an online campaign and petition letter, against what he says is a waste of energy and taxpayers' money. It attracted widespread attention in the city - including from government officials.
What do you think of the government's plan?
I was filled with anger when I first came across the announcement of such a wasteful project. The rationale is strange. It is also ridiculous to see that much of the taxpayers' money and electricity was to be wasted on a light screen. This will damage the natural scenery of Bai E Tan where the light panel will be built. This is not a sustainable project.
How did you get started with this campaign?
On a day-to-day basis, there are in fact many unreasonable government projects happening around us but we often feel helpless. Confronted with such a huge light project, I wasn't sure what to do about changing the reality so I started reaching out and discussing the issue with friends who also care a lot about Guangzhou and its future. We concluded that something would need to be done and no matter what that was, there were two purposes we needed to achieve. The first thing is that we need to send out the message that the younger generation will no longer let things pass when coming across another unreasonable public project. They will stand up and do something about it. Another message we need to send out is that public policies should undergo public consultation.
What was the campaign strategy?