Beyond the Revolution

3 years have passed since the outbreak of the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019. Tolerating no dissent, Beijing bypassed the local legislature and imposed the National Security Law on the city. "National security," "subversion," and "collusion with foreign powers" are all broad and vague in their definitions. Dissenting speech on the internet is regarded as incitement. Civil society has been dismantled. Hong Kong is now under authoritarian rule.

According to the figures of the Hong Kong government till 31st August 2022, more than 12000 people haven't been arrested due to protest-related activities. More than 2000 cases have been closed, and over 80% of the defendants are guilty. 230 people are arrested under the National Security Law. 140 of them have been charged. The conviction rate is 100%, and the penalty ranges from 1 to 9 years in jail. Renowned dissenters such as Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily News, and the 47 democrats who took part in the primary elections, have been detained for more than two years, and their cases are not yet in session.

As the political conditions deteriorate, Hong Kong is now facing a brain drain. Regarding the Hong Kong government's statistics, from 2020 to 2022, net migration is 245000. The number of people aged between 20 to 24 decreased by 20.7%, 9.8% for the 25 to 29-year-old. While the 35 to 39 age group declined by 7.2%, the 5 to 9-year-old also reduced by 10.7%. Young people and families with kids are most eager to leave. They are educated and supposed to be the progressive power of society.

"Beyond the Revolution" is to record the Hong Kong diaspora's situation and how they maintain their identity. Some protestants fled Hong Kong and became political exiles. Others vote on their feet to say no to communist rule. They can never cut off their affection for Hong Kong.

This photo series was taken in Taiwan and is still going on. Taiwan was once a common choice of the Hong Kong diaspora due to the minimal geographical and language barrier. Some interviewees are determined to root in Taiwan, and some are irritated by Taiwan's volatile migration policy and leave again for the UK or Canada. The social movements altered their lives drastically. Teenage exiles from broken families lead an underground life in Taiwan due to the lack of resources and a lawful identity; professionals lacking practicing licenses in Taiwan had to change to another industry; blue-collar workers acquired a student visa to stay in Taiwan. Some of them can hardly get on with school life, while some enjoy studying. Some insist to work out every day, dreaming that they can form an army one day to regain Hong Kong.

Hong Kong protestants are of various age, backgrounds, and social classes. They might only meet each other in the protest scene. Thanks to the energetic civil society of Hong Kong, they quickly collaborated because of a common goal: democracy and justice. These power have not vanished. The Hong Kong migrants in well-off from a new network to help the fragile young exiles. How would they see themselves after two or three decades? Would they still treasure their ethos in 2019? There is no end in defiance, nor this project.