Text / Compiled and reported by Liao Qiyu, Editorial Department, MOOK Travel Life Network

The Occupy Central movement continues to escalate, affecting an increasingly wide range of sectors. The Hong Kong government, considering the spreading protests may disrupt traffic evacuation and jeopardize public safety, announced on September 30 that,the originally scheduled National Day fireworks show at 8:00 p.m. on October 1, 2014, has been cancelled.This marks the second consecutive year the event has been called off, following the cancellation last year due to the Lamma Island ferry disaster. This year’s fireworks were planned to light up the night sky over Victoria Harbour in nine acts, featuring 23,888 fireworks over 23.5 minutes, including the launch of the Chinese characters for “I am Chinese” in golden simplified script 23 times during the opening act.

In addition to the cancellation of the National Day fireworks, the Occupy Central movement is spreading rapidly, with more and more citizens taking to the streets to fight for democracy. Nearly 100,000 people have joined the rallies,affecting famous tourist spots such as Admiralty, Central, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay, especially major roads like Queen’s Road Central, Queensway, and Hennessy Road.Additionally, it has been reported that over 10,000 protesters may move to Mong Kok to stage sit-ins and block traffic on Nathan Road and Argyle Street. Local shops are the first to be impacted, particularly those along Hong Kong Island’s once bustling boutique street, where business has been especially affected. Well-known retailers such as Chow Sang Sang, Chow Tai Fook, and some fast-food outlets have temporarily closed as a result.

》http://www.mook.com.tw/article.php?op=articleinfo&articleid=10507