Yellow economic circle
The yellow economic circle, also known as the yellow economy,[1][2] is a system of classifying businesses in Hong Kong based on their support or opposition to the 2019–20 protests. Proponents of the yellow economic circle frequent "yellow shops" and boycott "blue shops", the former supporting the protesters[3] and the latter supporting the Hong Kong Police Force.[4] Businesses affiliated with ("red shops") or owned by ("black shops") the Chinese Communist Party are also targets of boycotts and vandalism by protesters,[5][6] which has led to the use of the alternate name anti-communist economic circle.[7] Politically neutral businesses are labelled "green shops".[8] Yellow shops that have supported pro-democracy protesters since the 2014 Umbrella Movement are sometimes referred to as "golden shops".[9]
Yellow economic circle | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A "yellow shop" featuring a Lennon Wall and promotional posters supporting protesters. | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 黃色經濟圈 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 黄色经济圈 | ||||||||||||
|
2019–20 Hong Kong protests |
---|
Part of the Democratic development in Hong Kong |
Background |
Protests timeline |
2019 2020 |
Tactics and methods |
Incidents |
Fatalities |
Reactions |
See also |
|
The yellow economic circle was created by protesters to support like-minded businesses,[10] sustain the livelihoods of pro-democracy business owners, create job opportunities for supporters of the movement,[11] and reduce local dependence on businesses that are connected to the Chinese Communist Party.[12] It has also been suggested that the yellow economic circle may increase votes for the pro-democracy camp in the Catering, Wholesale, and Retail functional constituency in the later postponed 2020 legislative election.[13]
Origins
In July 2019, Yoshinoya, a Japanese fast food chain, created a Facebook advertisement mocking local police for removing notes from a Lennon Wall. The advertisement was taken down shortly thereafter, and the company's Hong Kong branch announced that it had fired the employees who created the post. The decision prompted supporters of the protesters to boycott Yoshinoya.[14]
In the same month, a captain from Cathay Pacific made an announcement reassuring his passengers that the airport protests were peaceful and orderly. He ended with a few words in Cantonese, saying: "Keep it up, Hongkongers! Be careful and stay safe." (香港人加油,萬事小心) Soon after, the captain was reported to have left the airline, but it was unclear whether he resigned or was fired. Cathay Pacific has since been criticized for alleged political bias.[15]
Following these incidents, citizens supporting the protests developed their own economic circle by boycotting blue shops and solely patronising yellow shops. Several smartphone apps, such as "和你eat" and "WhatsGap," were developed to help citizens identify and avoid spending money at shops with opposing political views.
Protestors developed the slogan "Refurbish the black, embellish the red, boycott the blue, support the yellow shops" after the 2019 Yuen Long mob attack, which was to be interpreted as "Vandalize the shops related to gangsters who attacked protesters, draw graffiti on state-owned shops and banks, boycott the shops that support the police and the government, spend more in pro-democracy shops."[16]
Criteria for becoming a yellow shop
"Yellow shops" are those which participate in citywide general strikes, support protesters financially through donations to the 612 Fund or the Spark Alliance, donate food or protection gear for protesters, or set up a Lennon Wall for customers to leave post-it notes of support for the protests.[17]
The labelling system is frequently evaluated by Hong Kong netizens. Yellow shops are promoted on a number of websites and guides, including "Hong Kong's Rice Pig Guide," a parody of the Michelin Guide, and "Yellow Openrice," an online food show on YouTube.
Methods
Online platforms
After the 5 August 2019 general strike in Hong Kong, several mobile apps and websites were developed to identify the political stance of shops and restaurants. These online platforms provide guidance to the supporters of the yellow economic circle, allowing them to identify and patronise nearby yellow shops, as well as avoid blue and red shops. Some of the platforms use a crowd-sourcing strategy to gather information on the political stances of shops, where the users can collectively determine the political stance of a certain shop by voting.[18] These platforms include:
- Hong Kong People Hong Kong Shops (Chinese: 港人港店)
- Wolipay (Chinese: 和你Pay)
- Cung Gwong Hou (Chinese: 重光號)
- Words of Mouth
- WhatsGap
- Hong Kong Leung Sum Guide (Chinese: 香港良心Guide)[19]
Promotional campaigns
Netizens supporting the yellow economic circle have organised promotional campaigns to encourage the patronage of yellow shops. Organisers typically promote the campaigns through forums and chat groups, encouraging supporters of the yellow economic circle to shop at yellow shops more frequently during the campaign periods. Long lines are often seen outside popular yellow shops during the campaigns.[20] The following is a list of some notable campaigns:
Lunar New Year Fairs
The Lunar New Year Fair is a traditional fair held annually a few days before Lunar New Year, typically organised by the Hong Kong government. After the government announced on 7 November 2019 that there would not be any dry good stalls at the 2020 fairs,[24] a group of netizens and pro-democracy district councillors organised independent fairs called "wo lei siu" (Chinese: 和你宵; lit. 'our evening').[25][26] The organisers aimed to provide a platform for yellow shops to promote their products and services, while at the same time encouraging citizens to boycott the fairs organised by the government.[27]
However, the government refused to approve the wo lei siu organisers' venue applications, forcing them to host the fairs in a different form or at a smaller venue. After the pro-Beijing political organisation District Council Observers accused Kwai Chung's wo lei siu of promoting political propaganda, the Housing Department cancelled the venue booking three days before the wo lei siu was scheduled to start. As for the wo lei siu of Central and Western District, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department refused to issue a Temporary Places of Public Entertainment License, even though activities of a similar scale have been held in the same venue during past Lunar New Year celebrations without any opposition from the government. In response to this setback, a group of Central and Western district councillors announced that they would set up street counters separately on the original venue, hosting stall games and performances.[28] Several other independent fairs have faced similar opposition from the government.[29][30]
Cross-promotions
Yellow shops close to each other have occasionally joined together to organise cross-promotions. For instance, in October 2019, when the famous yellow drink shop Kingyo in Yuen Long was facing a potential shutdown, its neighbouring yellow restaurant Watergate Chicken Rice announced that it would stop selling drinks, and that customers could instead show their receipt from Watergate Chicken Rice at Kingyo to get ten percent discount.[31] This promotion successfully increased Kingyo's sales and saved it from closing.
It is also common for multiple yellow shops in the same region to form alliances, offering support and cross-promoting one another. For example, yellow shops in Mong Kok have formed the "Small Mong Kok Alliance," which offers customers a yellow discount card to shop at other members’ outlets.[32] Similar alliances are seen in the Central and Western District,[33] Tai Po District[34] and Kwun Tong District,[35] with the yellow shops employing various promotion strategies, such as stamp cards and VIP cards.
Boycotts of blue shops
Businesses that have openly voiced opposition to the pro-democracy movement are labelled "blue shops" and face large-scale boycotts from supporters of the yellow economic circle. Some of the more prominent blue shops include Maxim's Caterer, Best Mart 360, and Yoshinoya. Maxim's has become one of the most widely boycotted restaurant chains in Hong Kong ever since 11 September 2019, when Annie Wu, the daughter of the company's founder, called for the expulsions of faculty and students who boycott, and publicly denounced the Hong Kong protests at the United Nations Human Rights Council.[36][37] The revenue of Maxim's Caterer dropped drastically after the incident due to a widespread boycott by protesters.[38] Best Mart 360, a chain store that sells snacks, saw a similarly rapid decline in profit after protesters started a boycott campaign due to the company's relationship with the triad Fujian gang, which has assaulted protesters on several occasions.[39]
Boycotts against blue shops are not limited to the retail and catering industries; corporations in various trades such as the media and transportation industries have also been labelled blue and subsequently boycotted. TVB, one of the four free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, has been accused of selectively reporting the economic disruption caused by the protests while down-playing police violence and the underlying political frustration.[40] As a result, netizens launched several campaigns against the broadcaster, such as writing to businesses to persuade them to withdraw their ads airing on TVB.[41] Many businesses have subsequently withdrawn or postponed their advertising campaigns with TVB.[42]
Attacks on blue, red and black shops
Some shops that are considered pro-Beijing were physically damaged during protests in 2019.[43] Chinese Communist Party-affiliated businesses, labelled "red shops" by protesters, and Chinese Communist Party-owned businesses, labelled "black shops", were frequent targets of vandalism.[5][6] Mainland Chinese bank branches had their ATMs destroyed and interiors vandalized. Other mainland Chinese brand stores were set alight and had their windows smashed.[44][45][46] A fashion chain whose founder was allegedy sympathetic to the Hong Kong Police Force was also targeted.[47] Some "blue shops" have also been attacked with molotov cocktails.[48] Maxim-owned restaurants and Starbucks branches were also ransacked.[48][49]
Use abroad
The concept of the yellow economic circle has been adopted by pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong's diaspora communities, most notably in Canada and the United States. In late 2019, a Hong Kong Canadian Facebook group published a crowdsourced list of yellow and blue shops in Metro Vancouver. UBC professor Leo Kwok-yueh Shin commented that such lists could create "a great deal of division within the Chinese communities [in Canada]," and that the two opposing political camps should instead "promote coming together in one form or another."[50]
Impact of the 2020 national security law
After the Hong Kong national security law was passed on 30 June 2020 and following the disbandment of Demosistō, some pro-democracy businesses began distancing themselves from the yellow economic circle due to fears of persecution under the new law. Businesses reportedly removed promotional posters from their storefronts and anti-establishment remarks from their official social media accounts.[51]
Analysis
Conceptualisation
The idea of the yellow economic circle stems from the concept of Identity Economics suggested by George A. Akerlof, winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001, and Rachel E. Kranton. Under the prototype model of economic interaction, people tend to incorporate their identity into a general model of behaviour which then influences their economic habits. When a person learns a set of values, they will internalise those values and conform with the behaviour of the people with that same identity.[52] Applying this theory to contemporary Hong Kong society, people supporting the pro-democracy camp tend to have a strong sense of belonging to this political identity, and they will thus only spend money on shops that share the same values.
Effectiveness
Kay Lam, a political analyst, stated that the yellow economic circle is the result of people's political awakening triggered by the social movement. Through boycotting businesses affiliated with the Communist Part of China and supporting local entrepreneurs, a counter-political pressure will be generated that compels business owners to think carefully before participating in pro-government propaganda. According to the owner of a dried seafood shop, by setting up a local economic circle, Hong Kong businesses can prove to others that they do not need help from the Chinese Communist Party.[4] Political scientist Kenneth Chan commented that the yellow economic circle is "a form of protest in daily life which breeds a sense of self-determination and solidarity against the government".[53]
Many international observers stress that Hong Kong's economy has been declining due to the long-lasting civil unrest. However, the emergence of the yellow economic circle shows that the declining economy is less applicable to the yellow shops. Instead, it is the shops branded as blue that are facing difficulties in maintaining their business. For example, at least 71 restaurants or bakeries from Maxim's Catering Group were forced to suspend their operations for five or more days in a row in November 2019.[54]
Economists state that the yellow circle is unlikely to impact Hong Kong's main industries of finance, tourism, trading and logistics, which currently are strongly linked to mainland China.[53]
Reactions
Positive
Joshua Wong, the secretary general of Demosistō, stated that the yellow economic circle may be a chance for Hong Kong to restructure its economy. He pointed out that Hong Kong relies highly on the consumption of luxury products by Mainland Chinese tourists, which may be unhealthy for the Hong Kong economy in the long term. However, the yellow economic circle may restructure the economy of Hong Kong to focus more on local consumption.[55]
Alan Leong, the chairperson of the Civic Party, commented that the yellow economic circle has great economic potential and has been a significant contribution to the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests, for example in aiding the pro-democracy parties in promotion for the Legislative Council election.[56]
Negative
Edward Yau Tang-wah, the Commerce and Economic Development Secretary of Hong Kong, criticised the yellow economic circle by doubting whether the economy could last if it continued. A pro-Beijing Hong Kong businessman, Shih Wing-ching, also mentioned that the yellow economic circle is "not feasible" and will further divide Hong Kong society, without creating any economic benefits.[57] Newspaper Ta Kung Pao compared the yellow economic circle to Nazi practices and hatred of the mainland.[8][58]
The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, also condemned the yellow economic circle. The newspaper claimed that it undermines citizens' rights to choose what they want to eat and buy, and at the same time, spreads more hatred in Hong Kong.[59]
Some yellow restaurants have been criticised for their refusal to serve Mandarin speakers (except those from Taiwan) during the COVID-19 pandemic.[60][61] From January to March 2020, the Equal Opportunities Commission reported nearly 600 inquiries and complaints about restaurants and other businesses refusing to serve Mandarin speakers and people from Mainland China, a trend that analysts believe to be partly due to Hong Kong's political environment as a result of the protests.[62]
References
- "Hong Kong's 'yellow economy' rewards protester-friendly businesses". Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP). 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Yau, Cannix (13 January 2020). "Divided we dine: perils of a 'blue' vs 'yellow' Hong Kong economy". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- Cheng, Kris (27 November 2019). "Explainer: What can Hong Kong's democrats do with their new District Council majority?". Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP). Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- Beech, Hannah; Fei, Lam Yik (19 January 2020). "Yellow or Blue? In Hong Kong, Businesses Choose Political Sides". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Hong, Brendon (22 October 2019). "How Hong Kong Protesters Show Which Businesses Are Friend or Foe". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "Why Starbucks? The brands being attacked in Hong Kong". BBC News. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "黃色經濟圈應正名為「公義社區」". 立場新聞 Stand News (in Chinese). 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- Pao, Jeff (18 December 2019). "Hong Kong official knocks 'color'-coded shopping". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- 林祖偉 (17 December 2019). "香港抗議:政治立場主導,消費分黃藍". BBC News 中文 (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- 潘國偉 (7 May 2020). "淺談黃色經濟圈的象徵意義:當銀票變成「選票」 請踴躍「投票」". 立場新聞 Stand News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- Terry的媒體懶人堂 (27 November 2019). "不如…搞個黃色教育圈?". 立場新聞 Stand News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- 林祖偉 (17 December 2019). "香港抗議:政治立場主導,消費分黃藍". BBC News (in Chinese).
- Ng, Kang-chung (21 January 2020). "Food truck boss hopes 'yellow economy' can power him to election win". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- Su, Xinqi; Cheung, Elizabeth (12 July 2019). "Yoshinoya steams at ad agency as extradition rows rock workplaces". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Chan, Holmes (21 August 2019). "Cathay Pacific pilot who went viral for telling Hongkongers to 'keep it up' no longer with airline". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Pao, Jeff (18 December 2019). "Hong Kong official knocks 'color'-coded shopping". Asia Times. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "In Hong Kong, local entrepreneurs champion the pro-democracy cause". Global Voices via Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP). 28 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "香港人的黃藍絲商店總匯。無大台,去核心化,你我一齊投票,一齊認證。". www.wonglaam.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "HK Dreamers - 支援發夢手足". www.hkdreamers.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "10.2 全民三罷:又一城三罷集會•聲援荃灣中槍中學生". NearSnake.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "A "Day of Thanks": Hong Kong protestors flock to pro-democracy businesses to show gratitude". The Young Reporter. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "【抗暴小店】黃色經濟圈爆買感謝日 出街幫襯黃店 茶飲店增40%生意 食客:每天支持黃店". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "Hong Kong protesters plan to boost yellow businesses during mini 'golden week'". South China Morning Post. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "Hong Kong to allow only flower and food stalls at Lunar New Year fairs". South China Morning Post. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "信報即時新聞 -- 網民發動「和你宵」 冀建黃色年宵經濟圈". 信報即時新聞. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- Kong, Get Ready Hong. "和你宵.民間自發五區年宵市場". www.getreadyhk.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "網民提出「和你宵」谷黃色經濟圈 杯葛政府年宵". 立場新聞 Stand News. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "葵涌、黃埔、中西區「和你宵」不獲政府發牌被迫取消 區議員批政府政治打壓". 立場新聞 Stand News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "「和你宵」市集售反修例產品 有檔主批被政府打壓 - RTHK". news.rthk.hk (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "銅鑼灣「和你宵」店主毋懼政府「掃場」 顧客撐黃色經濟圈 (17:32) - 20200118 - 港聞". 明報新聞網 - 即時新聞 instant news (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "【抗暴之戰●爆買日】元朗兩良心小店互助互惠 網民齊撐大懲罰". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Business booms for 'yellow' firms backing Hong Kong protest movement". Reuters. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "【黃店Connect!】超過30間中西區黃店 儲印花換優惠 創辦人:吸引政治中立的人 中環小食店:多咗五成香港人幫襯". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "【抗暴之戰】手足一個不能少!大埔「黃圈」儲印仔撐小店疫境求存". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "區議員李嘉達:「龍門」任我擺? 論黃色經濟圈的前路 分散投資才可寧縱毋枉 | 讀者投稿 | 立場新聞". 立場新聞 Stand News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- Blake Schmidt (16 October 2019). "How Maxim's Annie Wu Triggered a Starbucks Backlash". Bloomberg.
- "Hong Kong uni students boycott Maxim's caterer after founder's daughter blasts pro-democracy protesters at UN". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "【美心業績】美心去年盈利跌22% 月餅銷售繼續增(第二版)- 香港經濟日報 - 即時新聞頻道 - 金融經濟". inews.hket.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Best Mart 360 admits its insurer may not cover damage suffered in Hong Kong protests". www.marketing-interactive.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Ives, Mike; Li, Katherine (14 July 2019). "Hong Kong Protesters' New Target: A News Station Seen as China's Friend". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Creery, Jennifer (10 July 2019). "Hong Kong broadcaster TVB defends neutrality as clients suspend ads amid protester boycott campaign". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Pocari Sweat among advertisers ditching Hong Kong's TVB over claims of biased coverage". South China Morning Post. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Beech, Hannah; Fei, Lam Yik (19 January 2020). "Yellow or Blue? In Hong Kong, Businesses Choose Political Sides (Published 2020)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Needham, Kirsty (20 October 2019). "Chinese companies targeted as wave of destruction hits Hong Kong". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "Mainland banks, pro-Beijing businesses caught in Hong Kong protest cross-hairs". CNA. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "Hundreds of shops destroyed as Hong Kong protesters defy rally ban". France 24. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "Is yellow the new black? Why Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters targeted I.T fashion group". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Limited, Bangkok Post Public Company. "Hong Kong protest shoppers show their true colours". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Genung, Andrew (23 January 2020). "In Hong Kong, Many Restaurants Are Literally on the Front Lines of the Protests". Eater. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Szeto, Winston (23 December 2019). "B.C. shop owner 'surprised' he's in guide that colour codes businesses to support Hong Kong protests". Canadian Broadcasting Network. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- Yau, Cannix; Tsang, Denise (30 June 2020). "'Yellow economic circle' takes hit as protest-friendly shops back off". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- George A. Akerlof, Rachel E. Kranton, Economics and Identity, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 115, Issue 3, August 2000, Pages 715–753, https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300554881
- Yu, Verna (23 January 2020). "From loo roll to dumplings: Hong Kong protesters weaponise purchasing power". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- "At least 71 restaurants/shops owned by Maxim's Catering are closed for business today, 10 more suspended until further notice". Dimsum Daily. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- 劉錦華, 翟睿敏, 周禮希 (1 May 2020). "五一黃金周|多區「黃店」食肆現人龍 食客:不知有「天馬行動」". 香港01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "黃色經濟圈 茁壯成長 公民黨主席 - 梁家傑". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "Economist reckons 'yellow economy' could endure". The Standard. 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- "「黃色經濟圈」本質是「納粹經濟圈」/李 俊". www.takungpao.com.hk. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- Pao, Jeff (31 December 2019). "Writer slammed over yellow economy, vandalism link". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- Sun, Fiona (19 February 2020). "The Coronavirus Has Brought Out the Ugly Side of Hong Kong's Protest Movement". Time. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- Tong, Justin (6 March 2020). "Putonghua speakers face dining bias". The Standard.
- Sun, Fiona (28 March 2020). "Language barriers: some Hong Kong restaurants still cite Covid-19 in turning away Mandarin speakers – but at what cost?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
Analysts believe the city’s roiling political environment since protests kicked off last June has played a role in the mainlander bans [...] The EOC says it has received nearly 600 inquiries and complaints about restaurants and other businesses refusing to serve mainlanders or Mandarin speakers since the Covid-19 pandemic first struck the city.