Charitable fund raising in Hong Kong

[skylee]

Walk on the streets of Hong Kong on a Saturday/Wednesday morning and you will see people (mostly students but there are other volunteers) selling "flags". These "flags" are not really flags but little stickers and you are supposed to donate some money for them. This is a way to raise money for charitable organisations. The only "flags" which are not stickers (that I have noticed) are the little red paper poppy flowers sold on the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday (just bought one today).

Somehow I think this flag-selling tradition (which is in fact regulated) is something special in HK (but perhaps other places have this too?). There are of course many other forms of charitable funds, like the Lotteries Fund, which is funded mainly by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and auctions of vehicle registration numbers, and the Community Chest.

[Quest]

I think they have it in Taiwan too, and half of the money would usually go to the "volunteers".

[wiz_oz]

They have it in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia as well

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

Do you mean you never sold "flags" when you were a Grade 6 student?

When I was a Grade 6 student in the 1960s, that was a must for every student. Everyone got excited in trying to sell as many "flags" as possible.

By that time, they were all paper flags and no stickers.

[Quest]

In the US, they make the students sell candy bars.

[skylee]

Ian, have I said anything that I hadn't sold "flags" before? I think I did it a few times when I was in secondary school.

[wiz_oz]

It does seem that selling flags is a rite of passage.

How about standing by the road and waving flags to foreign dignitaries? I am very sure there is lots in China but elsewhere? ( I am only refering to the involuntary bit.) All school children seems fair game? Everywhere?