The young lad says: Nothing happened

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project © Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project © Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project View all images ↓
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'The young lad says: Nothing happened'

The young lad says: Nothing happened

The gentleman says: Nothing happened

The lady says: Nothing happened

The missing month

Does anyone remember it?

All living beings are fading away under the sun,

People walk along the neatly organized streets,

Whispers and laughter fill the coffee shop air,

Are they discussing the missing month?

Searching for the departed in the wind,

The trees bear witness,

Tears fall with the rain,

May the darkness never return.

The Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 remains a seminal event in the collective memories of Hong Kong. At the time, Hong Kong was set to be returned to China under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and over a million of its citizens took to the streets to show support for students in Beijing. Tragically, over 10,000 people lost their lives during the protest, according to documents from former British ambassador to China, Alan Donald. The aftermath of the Tiananmen Square incident saw a wave of immigration from Hong Kong, with approximately 66,000 of its citizens leaving for other countries. To this day, tens of thousands still gather in Victoria Park every year to attend memorials organized by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and the park has become a meaningful historical landmark, often serving as the starting point for protests and strikes. The Tiananmen protest has helped to awaken Hong Kong's political consciousness.

In 2019, on June 4th, over 180,000 people participated in the thirtieth anniversary memorial. From June 9th, 2019 to January 2020, Hong Kong saw unprecedented protests against the extradition bill, with over a million people taking to the streets on June 9th. On June 12th, 10,000 people surrounded the legislative council building to pressure the government to withdraw the bill. The police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray, and the government declared the protest a "riot." From that day forward, tensions between protesters and police only escalated, with questions arising about the police's excessive force against protesters. In July of 2019, protesters broke into the legislative council building and read out their manifesto. On November 11th, there was a serious conflict between protesters and police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and on November 18th, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University became a battleground as police laid siege to the university, arresting over a thousand protesters.

Since the implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as of June 30, 2022, several pro-democracy parties have been arrested under national security law. In January of 2021, 47 democracy activists were arrested for participating in an independent primary vote in 2020. On June 17th, 2021, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was raided by police, with five of its editors-in-chief arrested under the national security law, leading to its closure on June 24th. On August 10th, 2021, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union was disbanded due to political pressure from pro-government newspapers. On September 25th, 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was disbanded due to investigation by the national security department. On October 3rd, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions was also disbanded. On November 19th, the University of Hong Kong removed the "Pillar of Shame," a memorial to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and massacre. On December 24th, the Chinese University of Hong Kong removed the "Democratic Goddess" statue. On December 29th, the pro-democracy newspaper Stand News was raided by police, with senior staff and former staff arrested. As of June 30th, 2022, 201 people have been arrested for violating national security law, most of them convicted of "speech crimes." Political party members, non-governmental organization and trade union members, journalists, teachers, students, lawyers, healthcare workers and others have been arrested and mostly denied bail, with over 1,000 convicted and sentenced to 772 years in prison for political-related crimes. Over 10,000 people were arrested for their involvement in the "2019 social movement," with 2,974 prosecuted.

In recent years, Hong Kong has seen a mass exodus, with over 130,000 leaving from 2019 to 2021. In the first quarter of 2022 alone, the net outflow of Hong Kong's population reached 140,000. According to the UK Home Office, as of March 31st, 2022, the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) welcome programme has received 123,400 applications, with numbers continuing to rise.

Despite a new era and "new normal" under the one country two system framework, the people of Hong Kong carry on with their daily lives, including horse racing and dancing. However, will they ever forget the events of 1989 and 2019? Under the guise of everything being "normal," Hong Kong can sometimes feel like the book "Nothing Happened" by Chan Koon Chung. As a photographer, I believe that photos have the power to unearth the forgotten memories and souls of this city, and so I have visited the landmarks of the events in 1989 and 2019.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On May 25, 2022, in a parking garage near Victoria Park in Hong Kong, a white dove symbolizing freedom and peace stood in front of the window, basked in the warm sunlight. Every year on June 4th, Victoria Park hosts a candlelight vigil to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre. In past years, the vigil has drawn tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of participants, lasting for over 30 years. However, since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2021, the Hong Kong government has banned the organizer of the vigil, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and arrested several members for charges of endangering national security and incitement. Additionally, two sculptures that served as memorials for the June 4th tragedy, the "Pillar of Shame" at the University of Hong Kong and the "Democratic Goddess" at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, were both removed by the respective schools. The June 4th Candlelight Memorial Vigil in Victoria Park has also been banned by the government for years under the guise of epidemic control, and the park was even closed on that day.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On December 10, 2022, the Sandy Ridge Cemetery in Hong Kong became a gathering place for citizens to pay their respects to the fallen participants of the 2019 Hong Kong social movement. The cemetery, which was previously used to bury unclaimed bodies, has taken on a symbolic significance in the aftermath of the movement. Every year, people come here spontaneously to mourn and honor those who lost their lives or took their own lives during the protests.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On May 25, 2022, in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a boy kneeled on the ground while participating in football training. Victoria Park in Hong Kong holds a candlelight mourning party on June 4 every year. The number of participants is tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people every year, and it lasts for 30 years. Since the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2021, the Hong Kong government has banned the organizers of the memorial party, Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, arrested and imprisoned serveral members of endangering national security and incitement. Two sculptures that represented the memorial of June 4 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and massacre, ‘Pillar of Shame’ at the The University of Hong Kong and ‘Democratic Goddess’ at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were removed one after another by the school. The June 4th Candlelight Memorial Party in Hong Kong's Victoria Park has also been banned by the Hong Kong government for years on the grounds of epidemic prevention, and even Victoria Park was closed on that day.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On May 26, 2022, at the place where the Statue of Democracy was originally placed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a security guard was quietly looking at the ground. ‘Democratic Goddess’ at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a sculpture that represented the memorial of June 4 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and massacre, were removed by the school with no reason on December 24, 2021.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On December 23, 2022, outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, a white table was placed across rows of crown control barriers. This type of barriers was widely used in the protests between protesters and the police in the social movement in 2019. On July 1, 2019, the protestors broke into the Legislative Council to read a manifesto. On January 6, 2021, 47 participants of Democratic parties for the Legislative Council election were arrested and prosecuted under the National Security Law. In March 2021, the Legislative Council carried out reforms and significantly narrowed the proportion of elected members. After that, the pro-democracy Legislative Council members almost completely disappeared.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On May 25, 2022, a ball of kapok fell to the ground in Victoria Park, Hong Kong. Victoria Park in Hong Kong holds a candlelight mourning party on June 4 every year. The number of participants is tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people every year, and it lasts for 30 years. Since the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2021, the Hong Kong government has banned the organizers of the memorial party, Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, arrested and imprisoned serveral members of endangering national security and incitement. Two sculptures that represented the memorial of June 4 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and massacre, ‘Pillar of Shame’ at the The University of Hong Kong and ‘Democratic Goddess’ at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were removed one after another by the school. The June 4th Candlelight Memorial Party in Hong Kong's Victoria Park has also been banned by the Hong Kong government for years on the grounds of epidemic prevention, and even Victoria Park was closed on that day.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On December 10, 2022, in Sha Tau Kok, Hong Kong, two CCTV surveillance cameras stood in front of the main water pipe that transports Dongjiang water to Hong Kong. Nearly 80% of the water in Hong Kong is Dongjiang water arranged by the Guangdong authorities. In 2021/22, Hong Kong imported 784 million cubic meters of Dongjiang water. Importing Dongjiang water to solve Hong Kong's water source problem began as early as 1965 in the Hong Kong British era.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On June 28, 2022, a few days before Hong Kong celebrates the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland, the government is busy preparing for the flag-raising ceremony to be held at the Golden Bauhinia Square. On that day, President Xi Jinping is rumored to be attending the ceremony. Under the ravages of the epidemic, the front row seats were pre-wrapped in transparent plastic bags to ensure the safety and health of the leaders.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
i

On June 23, 2022, a sea of national flags hangs in front of a secondary school in Tai Po, Hong Kong. Hong Kong celebrates the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland, and flag of China is everywhere. Different government departments, organizing groups and private companies have voluntarily hoisted the national flag.

© Hoi Kin Fung - Image from the The young lad says: Nothing happened photography project
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On May 26, 2022, a group of students were playing woodball at the Sports Ground in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Back to November 12, 2019, a serious conflict between the police and students broke out at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The anti-riot police once push to the sports field on the campus and fired tear gas into the sports field. The conflict caused many students to be injured.