It has been a long journey, to see the extreme transformation of Hong Kong: past, present, and a definite more uncertain future. Since the enactment of the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong more than three years ago, Hongkongers have been in an exodus mode. Those who stay behind, have lost their rights to free speech. And those living in the city have to live in fear. The NSL was the start of a nightmare that led to the present day.
The latest blow to Hong Kong was that the communist Hong Kong government issued a bounty, HK$1 million each, around US$128,000 per person, to the heads of eight Hong Kong activists from various backgrounds who are now overseas. The communist Hong Kong government says they will “hunt them down till the ends of the earth,” but those officials who made these wild statements, ironically, have been on the U.S. government sanction list, for destroying Hong Kong’s autonomy. But what is worst, the national security police also interfere with the related persons of the “Hong Kong 8”: their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, or siblings. Elmer Yuen, a “senior activist” by age and in his 70s, has also witnessed his son, daughter, and daughter-in-law being investigated and detained by the national security police. Mimi Yuen, a U.S. citizen but Hong Kong by birth, and the eldest daughter of Elmer Yuen, was taken away by the police when she arrived in Hong Kong a few days ago. It is unsure whether her U.S. passport is being confiscated. Mimi Yuen is also a director of a listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Hongkongers were resilient when there was genuine rule of law in the city. From the time of the colonial days to the first few years, even after the 1997 handover, it was usually fun to be living in Hong Kong. In the 1980s, life was predictable in the colonial days of Hong Kong. Fast forward to 2023 under Chinese rule.
The National Security Law of Hong Kong (NSL) has been enacted for over three years. The colonial days have been gone for 26 years since 1997. God Save the Queen no more. Primary and secondary school children of Hong Kong have to now get familiarized with the “March of the Volunteers” (義勇軍進行曲), the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. By the time this article is out, there is a strong likelihood that the Hong Kong court might have successfully banned “Glory to Hong Kong” (願榮光歸香港), the protest song of 2019 in Hong Kong, to be disseminated through the internet. It is a developing story, and my sources tell me that if the Hong Kong court ruled that “Glory to Hong Kong” is banned inside of the city, a local activist would seek judicial review(司法覆核) through the Hong Kong legal system.
People in their forties to mid-fifties belong to the Generation X category (born between 1965-1980), and are the by-products of the fruits of the success of the “good old Hong Kong,” powered by the opening up of China in some ways. But more importantly, international businesses believed in the rule of law in Hong Kong, and that it would remain intact for the sake of international trade. People my age rode on the coat-tail of Hong Kong’s success, the city also prospered for the better as many major industries flourished in the 1980s and 1990s: construction, finance, real estate, and manufacturing, just to name a few. Hong Kong was on auto-pilot mode, and people with various skill sets could develop their full potential, and overseas businesses did see a lot of opportunities from just being here.
The “glory days” of Hong Kong were definitely from the 1980s to about the time of the handover, and that was also a time Hong Kong people had the second wave of emigration outside of Hong Kong. They don’t want to deal with the imminent change of living under Communist China—it is more of a trust factor. At every stage of life, we could be very enthusiastic and driven about work and mission and live life with a higher purpose. That said, it is difficult to be overly optimistic about Hong Kong now.
While not trying to make a direct comparison, it is sad to see the next generation of Hong Kong people, millennials (born between 1981-1996), generation Ys (born between the 1980s and 1990s), and Zs (born between 1997-2015) alike have to confront Beijing. Activists like Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and Agnes Chow (周庭) fit into the definition of generation Y and Z, respectively. They were raised in the days of the internet age and media, but at the same time, they have taken a road less traveled to upset Beijing. We applaud Joshua and Agnes as heroes of their generation, but the communist rulers think quite differently. This is also the generation of young people that Beijing might try to wipe out. At the time of this writing, Joshua Wong is behind bars for his political activities, and Agnes Chow has been discharged from jail and has remained silent ever since.
The summer months of 2019, leading to now, were unprecedented in Hong Kong’s modern history. People across different generations came to the streets and fought for a free Hong Kong. Among those, one million came out, then two million, both in June of 2019, telling Beijing that Hong Kong people don’t want to be extradited to China and that people want true autonomy and democracy. During the fight for freedom in the summer months of 2019, leading to the freedom fight finale at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University, the younger generation put their lives on the line for a free Hong Kong. They don’t want Beijing’s intrusion.
It has become quite clear that Beijing nor the puppet Hong Kong government wants genuine reconciliation with the Hong Kong people since the events of 2019. The level of government suppression is just unbelievable. Government injustice towards its own people will lead to more resistance, tragedy, and even death. Beijing is losing a lot of its audience here. Different generations of Hong Kong people have already lost faith in the government. If the regime only knows how to respond to its people with further suppression, I believe more people will take it to the world stage for help. If Hong Kong’s voices cannot be heard on the world stage, then what is left for this city? Before it is really “game over” for this city, it is the moral duty of Hong Kong people, whether living locally or overseas, to continue to fight for our freedoms. Our voices should become one. May Glory Be to Hong Kong someday.
