Yes .. read and weep. This is where we are
Thousands of social media users have criticised Watsons’ decision to withdraw a special bottled water series with the theme “#Hong Kong is very beautiful” from supermarkets, a decision seen by some of them as an over-reaction to perceived political overtones.
The bottles were removed from Hutchison-owned Park N’ Shop branches and Watsons stores over the weekend, with staff saying they had received instructions to do so, Ming Pao newspaper reported on Sunday. The product remained available at convenience stores such as 7-11 and Circle K, the newspaper said.
The “#Hong Kong is very beautiful” series, with bottles made out of 100 per cent recycled plastic, carried four different messages on labels: “There is an attitude called persistence,” “Our roots are here whether we are together or apart,” “Chasing dreams across mountains and valleys,” and “[You] can always see a sunny day if [you] lift [your] head.”
The labels also featured images of the city’s iconic Lion Rock, Victoria Harbour and other landscapes captured by Hong Kong award-winning photographer Kelvin Yuen.
In protest at the removal, online users displayed on social media photos of the bottles they had purchased, using the name of the campaign as a hashtag.
