33 year old Badiucao, a Chinese political cartoonist, artist and rights activist based in Australia, regarded as one of China’s most prolific and well-known political cartoonists, and co-organiser of the London Hong Kong Way protest.

“I think art can be a way of healing people, to make people stronger, to empower people and to help them through this difficulty. During this movement, there is new creative art emerging, new songs being released. It all makes me want to create art to promote the spirit within these protests. Hong Kong gives me the most inspiration in my life. ”

— Badiucao

Journalist: Yellow Shy Guy, Joyce Leung

Photographer: Yellow Shy Guy, Binlo Photography

Videographer: Yellow Shy Guy, Joyce Leung

Video Editor: Yellow Shy Guy

“As a typical mainland kid, I grew up under the propaganda education system in Shanghai. But the lucky thing (or not so lucky thing) for me is my family history, which formed some sort of ‘immune system’ inside me against being brainwashed in China.

I am Badiucao, a Chinese-Australian artist. My art mainly focuses around human rights issues in China, Hong Kong and other places. Since the Hong Kong protests began, I’ve devoted a lot of my time and energy on this magnificent movement. I hope that my art will give the world a better idea of the struggle of Hongkongers.

My grandparents were the first generation of filmmakers in China. They were very active in their industry between 1920 and1950, until they were hit by the iron fists of a political campaign that targeted all the artists and intellectuals. So my grandparents got into trouble with their films. My grandfather got sentenced to a rural concentration camp, a bit like the ones in Xinjiang now, and he actually lost his life there.

This taught me two things. First, I have the blood of an artist running through my veins, and second, being an artist is extremely dangerous in China. That is why I chose to leave China and restart my life in Australia.

I never got the chance to meet my grandparents because they passed away so early. However, with their stories being passed down through the family, I took a particular interest in art and started drawing cartoons and manga when I was in China. But it was only after I had arrived in Australia that I really practised art properly.

We Are HKers - Badiucao | One of China’s most prolific political cartoonist - "This is not just about Hong Kong. This is a fight for all of us."

Since the very beginning of my artist’s career, I chose to be anonymous.

I knew that if my topic of focus was about Human Rights in China, then I would be putting myself in serious danger. This already happened to a lot of Chinese artists. So I knew that it was important to keep my identity concealed so that I could create my art in a relatively free and protected environment.

But then, something happened and my identity got compromised.

Last year, I was supposed to have my first solo international exhibition in Hong Kong, but it was later cancelled. The police in Shanghai visited my family and said that they would send two policemen to my show in Hong Kong if I chose to go ahead with the exhibition. As a group, we decided that we could not take the risk, especially for those in Hong Kong who were helping me prepare for the exhibition. So we had to call off the show. What happened to my family was really a dagger to my heart.

I now do not have the protection of being anonymous anymore.

Even now that I’m living in Melbourne, Australia, I still experience all sorts of intimidation. I receive death threats on a daily basis on social media, which are not only coming from robot trolls but from real people who live in the same city as me. Someone left a message saying, “Do not let me see you on the streets by this hour, otherwise…” they didn’t complete the sentence but I knew what s/he wanted to say.

I’ve also received cyber attacks preventing me from accessing the internet. I’ve been followed by Asian-looking people equipped with Bluetooth earpieces. I have strange cars parking in my and my friends’ residential areas. I even had a possible home invasion. This is a clear message to say that I am on the watchlist - they know who I am and they know where I am. The threat is not paranoia, it is real.

But, fundamentally, I believe that silence will not help anyone in fighting for freedom. In fact, you have to fight for it. And I think the best way is to face them with my real identity; to make a statement that “I am not afraid of you, I am not hiding under this regime”.

I don’t regret going down this path of Resistance. Even if I hadn’t done so, it would still be dangerous. It is only a matter of time. If no one tried to do this and raise awareness, then all of our futures would be doomed. If those young kids aged 14-16 can be on the frontlines in Hong Kong, willing to sacrifice their lives, I have no reason to hide in the free and safe world in Australia. I must speak out.

How I heard about the Tiananmen Square massacre was a total accident.

My classmates and I would have this ritual of watching a movie every weekend, and sometimes, we even pirated movies. One weekend, 30 years ago, we had downloaded this particular file - a very normal one, apart from the fact that the length of the movie seemed super long. Out of the blue, in the middle of the film, it turned into a documentary about the Tiananmen Square massacre. It was an extraordinary movement, and it was a shocking experience for me because what happened in Tiananmen was a fairly recent event at that time. What made me feel even more disgusted was the fact that this record of the event had been completely wiped from the history in China.

The first time when I visited Hong Kong, I actually attended the annual Tiananmen Massacre memorial event in Victoria Park. I was so moved that Hong Kong was commemorating this national tragedy for China, and continued to do so year after year, for all those people who lost their lives. I felt so inspired and empowered by the spirit of Hongkongers.

I was blown away by the courage of Hongkongers during the Umbrella Movement, but now, it is just a whole new level of courage, sacrifice and unity amongst Hongkongers.

Hong Kong gives me the most inspiration in my life.

Everyday, there has been new creative ways of protest emerging in Hong Kong.

There is new creative art emerging, new songs being released. It all makes me want to create art to promote the spirit within these protests.

The Lennon Wall is the most beautiful and engaging art form I’ve ever seen. We all know it actually started in Prague in 1989 when the city was trying to fight against the tyrannical Communist regime at the time. Hong Kong absorbed this idea and changed it into a new method, replacing graffiti with post-it notes being stuck on walls. It’s a genius idea.

It’s also been picked up globally for people who support Hong Kong. You see a Lennon Wall in London, in Melbourne, in New York and all around the world. That’s why I was really inspired by it, I did cartoons about it and also a flag that I call the Lennon Wall flag. Hopefully, it can become the new symbol of Hong Kong’s protests.

I was inspired by the vivid colour and the meaning behind it advocating for freedom of speech, that every individual voice should have a place in Hong Kong, which is the very sense of freedom and democracy.

I’ve been travelling with my Lennon Wall Flag all over the world. My aim is to travel to different cities around the world to raise awareness with the people, to make them pay attention to Hongkongers’ struggle.

This is not just about Hong Kong. This is a fight for all of us.

Art helps comfort people’s heavy hearts and devastating mental states.

As a political cartoonist, I use a lot of satire and humour in my work. I’ve received a lot of comments from Hongkongers saying, “We hadn’t smiled for days, but your cartoon made my day”. Of course, I’m very happy to see these kinds of sweet comments, but it also reflects a very dark reality: that everyone in Hong Kong is experiencing this heavy struggle. I think art can be a way of healing people, to make people stronger, to empower people and to help them through this difficulty.

It seems like the news is always trying to say that Hongkongers’ protests are becoming increasingly violent. But the very sense of this movement is really non-violent, creative and full of love. When we see people hand-in-hand making a human chain around the city, when we hear Hongkongers singing Glory to Hong Kong with a massive crowd, that is touching and very beautiful, and these should be reported by the media.

Thank you Hongkongers - you are a true inspiration to the rest of us in the free world.

We all have the privilege to enjoy our freedom, and sometimes it is so common that we don’t need to worry about when it will disappear. But your struggle is a reminder to all of us who still have democracy and freedom and can still say what we want to say. So, because of this, we are obligated to defend you and to stand with you in solidarity.

Hongkongers, you are not alone, we will fight this together. And we will win.”

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【VIDEO】Badiucao | One of China’s most prolific political cartoonist - "This is not just about Hong Kong. This is a fight for all of us."