2019: A turning point for Hong Kong

On June 9, 2019, 1.03 million Hong Kong citizens took to the streets to protest the amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. The long march stretched from day to night in the sweltering summer heat, officially marking the beginning of the anti-extradition bill movement. Since 2019, with the mass arrests and suspension of many media outlets, demonstrations and free expression have been suppressed and censored. Independent records of the movement have been lost, stifling diverse public discourse. At the same time, the authorities have actively manipulated and rewritten the truth to monopolize the narrative surrounding the movement. It was against this backdrop that the editors saw the need for this book.

The "anti-extradition bill" movement is not a single instance of "black violence" orchestrated by a single individual, but rather the largest and longest-lasting mass movement in Hong Kong's history. At various historical stages, the people of this land have never had a moment of "control" over their own destiny. In 2019, faced with the central government's long-brewing and increasingly encroaching totalitarian rule, tens of thousands of citizens abandoned their silence and chose resistance to expose the "problems inherent in what was once normal." 2019 has thus become an indispensable turning point in our understanding of Hong Kong.

This book begins by tracing the political shifts in Hong Kong and mainland China over the past few decades and the evolving lines of Hong Kong's social protest movement, outlining the social context leading up to the "Anti-Extradition Bill Movement." It then compiles reporting, research, on-site observations, and interviews on the movement, systematically tracing its trajectory, the issues raised by protesters, the "fronts" created, and the strategies for action. Finally, the book outlines the dramatic changes in Hong Kong society following the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, up to mid-2023.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the movement, the editors hope that through the publication of this book, they can leave clues for understanding "our city" for future generations who grew up with national security education. They also hope that friends in the Chinese-speaking world can see the unofficial version of the Hong Kong movement narrative and transform it into nourishment for action.

This book is dedicated to: those in prison, those who took to the streets, those who have not given up on finding a way out, and those who are willing to understand the Hong Kong movement.

2024-11-28

新銳文創

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