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A yellow fake faeces prop was on display at the public launch of the photography contest in Mong Kok yesterday. Photo: Felix Wong

No need for photos, just point us to the toilet, say mainland tourists

As competition seeks pictures of mainlanders relieving themselves in public, tourists say better signage may be more constructive

Mainland visitors called yesterday for more signs pointing to public toilets in Hong Kong and help instead of confrontation from locals - as the row over a mainland toddler's urination on a Mong Kok street stretched into the "golden week" holiday.

As a protest was being held against mainland tourists in the popular shopping destination of Tsim Sha Tsui, an online photography competition was launched in a Mong Kok pedestrian zone, with organisers calling for pictures of mainlanders relieving themselves in public.

But a call for a "pee in Hong Kong" mass protest by mainlanders in response to last week's viral circulation of a video of the urinating toddler appeared to have drawn no participants.

The pee that started it all.
By yesterday evening, more than 800 Facebook users had clicked "attend" on the photography contest's event page but only one picture had been posted, of a little girl relieving herself beside a rubbish bin with no indication of where or when it was taken.

Lin Shanglan, a Shenzhen resident who visited Ocean Park yesterday, said the Mong Kok boy's parents should have set a good example and taken him to a toilet instead of letting him urinate in the street. But she said it was not easy for many tourists visiting Hong Kong for the first time to find the nearest toilets.

"The government should put up more signs so people know where the toilets are," she said.

Toilet read offers advice for mainland visitors caught short

Pan Lingling, 31, who came to Hong Kong from Zhejiang with her two-year-old daughter, said public urination was understandable when children, who could not control their bladders, needed to relieve themselves urgently.

"But they could have found a more discreet place," she said, adding that it was not difficult to find public toilets.

Michael Ho, 28, father of a three-year-old, said it was embarrassing for children to urinate while being watched by dozens of people in the streets.

"Just use the toilets when children need to pee, they're free of charge. You should bring diapers when you go out with young children," he said.

Wang Xun, who came to Hong Kong from Shanghai with his parents, wife and son, said he felt the incident was "rather trivial".

He said he believed people from Hong Kong and the mainland should not confront each other and overreact.

One scuffle did break out yesterday between a mainland man and a backer of the photography competition at its public launch in Mong Kok.

The two were separated by police.

Contest organiser Leung Kam-shing said entrants were encouraged to advise offenders against unhygienic behaviour before taking photos or videos.

"We are doing this in response to mainland internet users calling on mainlanders to come and pee and poop in Hong Kong's streets," said Leung, leader of a series of anti-mainlander protests previously.

Another group, who had previously rallied to urge mainlanders to go home and buy mainland goods, continued their campaign in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday.

Organisers estimated that about 100 people took part.

Organiser Eric Leung said this might be his last protest as he had run out of new ideas.

His group has been dressing up as red guards, symbol of the Cultural Revolution. Leung referred to their rallies as "patriotic movements".

Watch: Urinating child altercation that began latest uproar

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: No need for photos, just toilet directions
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