We Are HKers - "Freedom and democracy has always been something that needs fighting for"

“It has never been people protesting that causes chaos within a country. Rather, it is the chaos of the country that causes people to protest.”

— Yan

After all the things that have happened over the past few days, I’ve never felt so upset, so helpless, so disheartened.

It’s so disturbing to see the place where I grew up being destroyed. I see my peers just as disappointed; all of us crying through the night, and then still persisting in going to school the next day, because this is our responsibility.

People may not understand, are angry, miserable, saddened about the things we do, and may ridicule us. But I hope you understand that this law is not simply about fugitives and extradition, but it’s about our future democratic freedoms and human rights.

What makes us anxious is the confusion and frustration of what lies ahead. And I realise that the general studies that we must learn is useless.

The Beijing Government once promised “Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy” and “remain unchanged for 50 years”, but you see us now? Only 22 years have passed, but the central government already can’t help but intervene with the politics of Hong Kong, and can’t help but reclaim their sovereignty.

You can say that if we don’t commit any crimes then we won’t be affected, but how can we guarantee that we’ll be able to spend the rest of the years in safety? When even our freedom of speech is taken away, what would happen to us? No one knows.

The previous generation has settled down, but what about the next generation? We have not…

The reason why Hong Kong is so stable is because we have an independent legal system. The central government promised not to intervene; that is what makes Hong Kong so valuable.

You can say: “Hong Kong is China!” Yes, that’s not incorrect. But who was it who promised us that Hong Kong could have a high degree of autonomy and remain unchanged for 50 years? It’s the Central Government! And who is it who’s breaching the promise? It’s also the Central Government!!

Related Stores...

【Video】House of To Kwa Wan Stories | Home uprooted in the name of development - Farewell imminent, but community lives on

Ricky | Crossing oceans to find a place with Freedom

Daring to sacrifice amidst billowing smoke; Finding courage amongst the swells

Kelvin Ho-Por Lam | District Councillor—Fighting to preserve the identity of a city and its people

Benny Yuen | Founder of EARTH.er — Telling the story of this land with my heart

We’re not wishing to leave China. Everyone knows that Hong Kong and China are inseparable; we’re all perfectly clear on that. But with such a breach of promise from the Central Government, how can we be at all assured? We are all born and raised in Hong Kong.

Now even the whole world is shocked by the people of Hong Kong. They say, “The people of Hong Kong used to be proud and dignified. But now? There’s only anger and disappointment.”

Hong Kong is such tiny place, with a society focused on self-preservation, playing safe and saving one’s own skin. And yet, millions of people came out onto the streets to protest.

It has never been people protesting that causes chaos within a country. Rather, it is the chaos of the country that causes people to protest.

Freedom and democracy has always been something that needs to be fought for. That’s never been wrong.

What we hope for isn’t that you all understand our despair; what we hope for is that you can respect the things that our generation has done. Because democracy and freedom have never been obtained just by asking for it, it needs to be fought for. Protesting on the streets, will they listen? Probably not, but at least we once fought for it.

Okay, and finally, I must say one thing: Hong Kong Gayau! (Come on Hong Kong!)

Our goal is for the bill to be withdrawn, not suspended!

Graphic：YellowShyGuy

Special thanks：Add Oil Hong Kongerrr

Read more stories

HKers' Stories

【Video】Warren Stuart | Godfather of skateboarding – Persistence and community (Part 1)

Warren Stuart is a Hongkonger who helped shape the skateboarding community in Hong Kong. In Part I, he recounts his earliest memories of the sport, and explains Hong Kong’s skateboarding scene. He also offers advice for amateur skateboarders.

Gary Yau | Hong Kong Road Signs and Prison Gothic Font Preservation

Gary Yau, a Hongkonger in his 20s, created the “Road Research Society” in 2016. He has spent several years cataloguing the remaining 500-600 road signs featuring Hong Kong’s unique bilingual “Prison Gothic” font and have reproduced this font in published books and online posts that share information regarding roadways.

Michelle Cheung | Paragon Tea Room—Tea for the open-minded

Michelle Cheung is a prolific young business owner who is making waves in the Vancouver cafe scene. Her current endeavour: Paragon Tea Room, has just celebrated its 2nd anniversary, boasts a modest 4.8 stars on Google, and attracts guests from all over the Greater Vancouver area. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she never planned to have a career in Canada, but now that she’s cultivating a gateway for Vancouver to connect with Eastern tea traditions, she hopes she can make Hong Kong proud someday. Read on to discover her ambitions for Paragon and beyond.

【Video】House of To Kwa Wan Stories | Home uprooted in the name of development - Farewell imminent, but community lives on

House of To Kwa Wan Stories, or “To Home” was established in Hung Fuk Street back in 2014 and now operates alongside Fixing Hong Kong and Community Cultural Concern. To Home is a one-of-a-kind community space, pushing for community development and the recording and archiving of To Kwa Wan’s stories, aimed at entering and being part of the community. With To Kwa Wan as a base camp, To Home hopes to connect the community as if it were a family, and to defend the ecumene that holds countless stories and tales. As To Kwa Wan is designated for urban renewal, and To Home’s fate is sealed along with its neighbours, members of To Home are now racing against the clock to maintain and record the fading area’s culture and vibe. In this interview, we have Sui Ling and Bun sharing their work and feelings as To Home faces the independent fate of urban renewal and eviction.

Toda Nakataro | Director of ‘Chronicle’ animated music video–The mind and thoughts are our final fortress

Toda Nakataro is a young multimedia artist. This year they produced the music video for “Chronicle” by The Hertz, a local Hong Kong band, and received resounding positive feedback. Many viewers were impressed and surprised to see such high-calibre animations created in Hong Kong.

Anki Suen | Chinese calligraphy tattoo artist - Pursuing a happy life

At the age of 25, Anki quit a job she loved, but which limited her creativity. She became a tattoo artist, taking back her voice in creation and became her own boss. Let’s follow her along this journey.

【Video】Peter Chan│Reality is more absurd than a script. We won’t give up until our last breath

Peter Chan is a Hong Kong actor with extensive experience. He was nominated for Best New Performer in the 13th Asian Film Awards and the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards. During the pandemic, he fell into deep despair which prompted self reflection: as an actor, can I do something for humanity?

【Video】Albert Wan | The Power of Human Stories

Albert Wan left his life as a lawyer in the United States, where he grew up, to become a bookstore owner in Hong Kong, where his parents are from. Together with his wife, he opened Bleak House, one of the few independent bookstores in Hong Kong that specialises in English books.

Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung | Holding a scalpel by day and a paintbrush by night

Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung treats numerous orthopedics patients by day, but once she takes off her scrubs, she is an artist that gives life to many popular cartoon characters. When she talks about these characters, her eyes sparkle with excitement. She hopes that her creations will give Hongkongers positive energy during these difficult times.

Derek Chan | Writing Hong Kong from a distance -- yellow objects．黃色物件

Derek Chan 陳嘉昊 grew up in colonial Hong Kong, studied in Norway, and currently lives in Vancouver. He received his BFA in theatre performance from Simon Fraser University. A playwright, director, performer, translator, and producer, Derek has been co-artistic director of rice & beans theatre since 2010.

【SHARED】Yan: "Freedom and democracy has always been something that needs to be fought for."

The previous generation has settled down, but what about the next generation? We have not…

Hong Kong is such tiny place, with a society focused on self-preservation, playing safe and saving one’s own skin. And yet, millions of people came out onto the streets to protest.