As Kenneth strolls through Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, memories of the city’s pro-democracy movement come flooding back. The annual Lunar New Year fair, once a hub for pro-democracy politicians, is now a shadow of its former self.
The protest marches that once wound their way through the city have been silenced, and the vigils commemorating the Tiananmen massacre have been extinguished.
The city’s character, Kenneth says, is disappearing. “People still carry on with life… but you can feel the change bit by bit.”
Hong Kong’s transformation under Beijing’s grip is a story of subtle yet pervasive change. The city’s skyscrapers now light up with exultations of China, the motherland. Mandarin Chinese, the language of the mainland, is increasingly heard alongside Hong Kong’s native Cantonese.
The pro-democracy movement that erupted in 2014, sparked by demands for fully democratic elections, marked a turning point in Hong Kong’s history. The Occupy Central movement, led by figures like Joshua Wong and Benny Tai, propelled a new generation of activists to prominence.
But Beijing’s response was swift and decisive. The national security law (NSL), imposed in 2020, has led to the jailing of hundreds of activists and the exile of thousands more.
As the decade draws to a close, hopes for a freer Hong Kong have withered. China says it has steadied a volatile city, but for many Hongkongers, the cost has been too high.
“The city’s character is disappearing,” Kenneth says. “But we will keep fighting to remember.”