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The Hikers (2014)

Video documentation of a performance
Single-channel video|16:9|HD|Colour|03’43”|Chinese and English subtitle|Stereo

 

Since the 1950s, a large number of Mainland Chinese illegally crossed the Shenzhen border and migrated to Hong Kong. In order to halt the influx of immigrants, the British colonial government set up Frontier Closed Area in 1951, the border zone was extended alongside China’s, nevertheless, it didn’t stop the refugee influx, especially during the great famine (1958-62) and Cultural Revolution (1966-76). In 1974, the Hong Kong government adopted the Touch Base Policy, which allows immigrants to register Hong Kong Identity Card as long as they reach urban area (South of Boundary Street in Kowloon). Before the immigrants got the chance to leave New Territories, many of them hid in Wa Shan area in Sheung Shui. They also helped out the other immigrants on the China border, by putting on a white flag as a signal on the peak, once they discovered the way is clear. 30 years later, the Hong Kong government loses its legislative and executive power on immigration from Mainland China.