As the 'will they, won't they' political pantomime continues over who is in the running to be the next chief executive, one of the main protagonists, Henry Tang Ying-yen, is facing criticism that his nascent campaign leaves him looking out of touch with ordinary people.
Last week, the chief secretary denied claims he had used public funds to launch a 'soft' online campaign, details of which are contained in documents obtained by the Sunday Morning Post.
The 45-page document, 'Online Campaign: Digital Communications', appears to set out his campaign strategy. If it all goes according to this plan, Tang will venture into various parts of the city over the coming months, playing a hawker peddling orchids, a proprietor of an aquarium shop in Mong Kok and a shopkeeper at a computer firm in Ap Liu Street in Sham Shui Po.
It is all an attempt to erase any perception that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
The document also proposes creating a campaign website, to which a URL had already been assigned. The link was briefly available in public but is now dead, although the campaign document includes printouts illustrating its proposed design.
According to the minutes of a meeting held by his campaign team in December that have been obtained by the Sunday Morning Post, digital communications tools such as a blog, a Facebook app, a YouTube channel and a mobile phone app will be launched from November onwards as part of his election strategy.
A campaign slogan - 'In Hong Kong for Hong Kong' - has been chosen and a cartoon character with Tang's face has been designed.
