CHINA-OCCUPIED HONG KONG – A mysterious marking that appeared in the room of an American guest staying at a Wanchai hotel could be an omen for Beijing’s future iron-fisted or “scorched rug” rule over the former British colony, Hong Kong University professor and expert sinologist Winston Chan said today.
Chan, whose book “What China Eats, Hong Kong Is Sure to Swallow,” became an international best-seller shortly after its release earlier this year, said the puzzling mark could be interpreted as a warning to Hong Kong from the Chinese government to tread warily or face a metaphorical political disfigurement.
“To the untrained eye, this [mystery marking] may appear to be a benign symmetrical blotch, perhaps like the crop circles that began appearing in American farmers’ corn patches in the early 1990s,” Chan said. “In fact, what can clearly be seen is the shape Hong Kong’s political future – a straight line across the bottom from which Beijing will not budge, with an evenly balanced centre and a singular sharp point at the top.”
“The centre of the figure obviously reflects the uniformity of political thought Beijing expects from Hong Kong, while the pointed top can be seen as the figurehead of President Xi Jinping, leading all Chinese people to a glorious, heavenly future.”
The American tourist who uncovered the blotch, Markwan Shermanton, a fintech influencer from Winnetka, Illinois, said he immediately alerted management at the Jailbreak Hotel in Wanchai about the mark. “It seemed strange that it would appear in my room alone, but I took it as a sign that I should think more clearly about my obviously Westernized political notions and also to send my suit to the dry cleaners so I’m presentable for this weekend’s conference.”
Professor Chan cautioned, though, on reading too much into the perplexing symbol, saying that although a “political branding message” was evident in the scorched carpet, a closer inspection by hieroglyphics experts might reveal a simpler explanation. “It could be something as mundane as a remnant of an electrical heating device of some kind heretofore unknown in these parts of north-central Asia, but who really knows?” he said.