Two years ago I armchair travelled to China, eating and drinking like an Emperor, and ruminating on the extent that a Brit could wade into the political debates surrounding Chinese borders. I concluded that I couldn’t separate out Hong Kong as it was a key part of Cantonese culture which itself is key to China. Since then I have met several born and bred Hongkongers who have escaped the stifling oppression of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their message was clear — Hong Kong is more than just a “special administrative region”. This does not mean I hold any truck for British colonialism, it means that I was deeply affected by meeting a Han woman at a train station crying with joy that she had escaped Hong Kong and the CCP.
A Hundred Fragrant Seeds
So far, my job has taught me that desk graffiti, cafeteria lunches, and teenage giggling are a universal language. And, I guess, so is…