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Hong Kong

Mooncakes carry a revolutionary message

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Woofer Ten workers hand out free mooncakes in Yau Ma Tei yesterday. Photo: Dickson Lee
Vivienne Chow

An art group is restoring meaning to mooncakes by distributing them with radical messages.

Community art group Woofer Ten distributed the "revolutionary mooncakes" at its Shanghai Street Artspace in Yau Ma Tei.

Ming revolutionaries are believed to have used mooncakes to spread their revolutionary message while fighting Mongolian rule at the end of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368).

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Created by artist Wilson Shieh, the cakes have two designs and carry the slogans "anti-rent increase" or "fight the landlords".

Each mooncake comes in its own box. One features 1911 revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat-sen and his famous quote "the revolution has not yet succeeded", followed by a rhyming slogan "rent is up every month".

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The other is decorated with the face of Mao Zedong and his quote "to rebel is justified", paired with the slogan "life is hopeless".

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