Lady Liberty HK Debuts at CUHK
- Project
- EXH-001
- Location
- Cultural Square, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Date
- 31 August 2019
- Press
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On 31 August 2019 — the same day police carried out a violent dispersal at Prince Edward MTR station — Lady Liberty HK made her public debut at the Cultural Square opposite Fung King Hey Building at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The statue was conceived and crowdfunded by users of the Lihkg online forum who loved art and design. The campaign reached its HK$200,000 target within a single day, ultimately raising HK$203,933. The design went to a public vote among the forum community before production began.
At 4 metres tall, Lady Liberty HK was modelled on the frontline protesters of the anti-extradition bill movement: she wears a helmet, eye shield, and gas mask, and carries an umbrella in one hand and a flag reading "Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now" in the other. The figure was widely understood as a successor to the Goddess of Democracy erected by Beijing art students at Tiananmen Square in 1989 — a 30-year echo.
CUHK Student Union president Su said the statue "symbolizes the indestructible spirit of Hongkongers, and our pursuit of the values of democracy and freedom."
CUHK student Rocky described it as a replication of the 1989 Goddess of Democracy, and expressed his hope that one day she would return to Tiananmen Square. He also reflected on where the statue could exist: "The Goddess of Democracy is already taboo on the mainland. But even in Hong Kong, you can't just place her in a public space. She can only exist at a university — because the university is the last line of defense for freedom and democracy. I hope that one day she returns to the mainland, and even to Tiananmen Square."
The statue was placed at CUHK on a temporary basis. She would go on to appear at rallies and gatherings across Hong Kong and, eventually, the world.