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In the city of Hong Kong, which is unfamiliar with violence, the scene of citizens using umbrellas to protect themselves from suppression by riot police has been honorably dubbed the "Umbrella Revolution".
The Hong Kong people's call to "end violence" and their resolute faith in democracy and freedom has received high praise and respect from the external world.
At the same time, a poignant scene has emerged at this historical moment.
What was intended as a celebratory Oct. 1 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party(CCP)'s reign, is now a scene of protest against totalitarianism amidst umbrellas, pepper spray and tear gas.
To usher in the "golden age", citizens are holding firm to their beliefs.
The brave and public-conscious youth are refusing to accept Beijing's propaganda, but it's ultimately an unfair fight.
When smoke billowed from tear gas shells, protesters could only use umbrellas to shield themselves.
The contrast is apparent from pictures taken from the scene—on one side, the violent police, on the other, pitiful umbrellas.
Umbrellas of diverse patterns and colors gradually changed from being a daily necessity into a symbol of resistance.
Design icons relating to this Umbrella Revolution are beginning to appear in large numbers.
A Hong Kong reader said, "When we were threatened, we opened our umbrellas and raised both our hands."
China Affairs magazine editor-in-chief Chris Wu says this mellow way of protest adopted by the Hong Kong people has won them respect from the world.
Chris Wu: "Unlike protesters in other cities who use stones, gasoline and self-made grenades, Hong Kong's peaceful ways have earned them a lot of respect from others."
"If anyone attempts to incite them and create trouble, we immediately know what kind of persons they are."
The "Love and Peace" campaign arranged by Occupy Central is different from "occupy" campaigns in financially troubled countries that lead to strewn garbage across the streets.
The organizers persisted with this campaign on the Oct. 1 national holiday so as to minimize disruption to workers.
On the morning of Sept. 30, neighbors made accusations that the occupants were obstructing traffic.
In response, whether to withdraw was put to a vote, and the response was that the majority persisted in staying.
Some people even set up tents and built make-shift homes on the Mong Kok.
A young girl is seen sitting on her father's shoulders, holding firmly onto his hands—witnessing this protest, she has just had her first field-class lesson on democracy.
Some restaurants gave free meal boxes to support protesters; a kind gesture that brightened the night at Mong Kok, bringing the students some warmth.
Among attention and praise given to the Umbrella Revolution by mainstream western media, the Swiss newspaper Mainichi regarded the event highly, calling it a "Protest of peace ideals" (Der Aufstand der Sanftmütigen).
As of Sept. 30, there are 40 cities worldwide who are supporting Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution.
At the same time, the Hong Kong police who have been using harsh measures against the protesters are low in morale.
On Sept. 30, a male police was deeply touched when he came to the scene and understood the situation.
He said, "All of us want to resolve this through dialogue," and the protesters are "easy to communicate with".
A newspaper photo that's been spreading among the public shows that on Sept. 29, a young man who was not wearing any protective gear suffered from a pepper spray attackby police near the Admiralty.
The fully armed policeman responsible for the spraying eventually overcame his struggling conscience and opened up his own water bottle and washed the young man's eyes.
This photo taken by an Epoch Times photographer is plain and simple, but has touched countless Hong Kong people.
The number of views on the Hong Kong Epoch Times' Facebook post exceeded one-million in a few hours.
Political science professor at the City University of New York Xia Ming says, "I'm afraid this is something we will not see in the society of China; every policeman and every soldier in a civil society is first and foremost, a human being."
"His humanity means that he must be sympathetic and caring; as long as he hasn't lost his humanity, and hasn't transformed into a tool for the violent autocratic system, then this display of humanity, this show of f and affection is very natural."
A young police officer once said to a reporter, "We are tired; we're people too and need rest."
On the walls of the Hong Kong police headquarters, someone has changed a slogan to enlist policemen into a call to "quit the police", appealing to Hong Kong's police to choose the right path for themselves.