AFTERSHOCK: Essays from Hong Kong

by Holmes Chan, Karen Cheung, Elaine Yu

Introduction / Holmes Chan
New territories / Frances Sit
Faces at a distance / Hsiuwen Liu
Feathery down / Elaine Yu
After he fell / Jessie Pang
Missing person / Ezra Cheung
The adversary / Holmes Chan
Voiceless / [Anonymous]
My fish tank days / Karen Cheung
The cost of living / Nicolle Liu
A day's work / Rachel Cheung
Home front / Sum Lok-kei

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Essays, Politics

91 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[John Defrog: global citizen, local gadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slim but powerful collection of short essays written by 11 young Hong Kong-based journalists who covered last year’s anti-ELAB protests from the front lines. The essays are not recaps of the protests but personal reflections from each writer on how the protests have impacted both their personal and professional lives, and Hong Kong society in general.

Naturally, each essay covers different ground, but two common themes are the divisions that have deepened in Hong Kong during the protests – between political parties, friends and family members, journalists and editors, and even the haves and have-nots – and the trauma of witnessing and experiencing state violence up close. Like the protesters themselves, most of the writers here are young people who found themselves stunned by the level of disproportionate violence the police were willing to dish out, and while it didn’t prevent them from doing their jobs, that resilience came at a personal cost.

To be clear, no one here is portraying themselves or the protesters as valiant heroes. What they offer is nuance and introspection that cuts through the political stereotypes and reveals the human side of the protests. There’s no political analysis, big answers or takeaways – there are other books just now coming out that cover that ground. As editor Holmes Chan writes in his intro, the goal was to give his fellow journalists a chance to express how they really feel about their experience on the front lines.

I devoured it, and recommend it to everyone, with the caveat that all of these essays presume that the reader is reasonably well-versed on the HK protests and the specific events referred to here. And since it’s a small local publication, here’s where those of you outside of HK can buy a copy if you’re so inclined.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book from a Hongkonger living here in New York who I met waiting in line at the J Mart (she was wearing a "Free HK" shirt.) I knew I wanted to read it, but it is hard to get the book since it was published by a small independent press in Hong Kong. Lucky me one of my friends in Hong Kong was coming to NYC and volunteered to get the book and bring it to me. (Thanks Natalie!!) What an extraordinary chronicle of a moment in a movement. This is a collection of short essays written by journalists who covered the student protests in 2019. These are not objective pieces of journalism. These are essays that convey the human experience of watching the Chinese government bring freedom to its knees, and to seeing the souls of a generation (a generation these reporters are a part of) crushed. If you have any interest in the reach of the Chinese government, the heart of their goals or intentions, the future of Hong Kong, or resistance movements anywhere, I absolutely recommend this book if you can get your hands on a copy. Its a small volume, less than 100 short pages, but it packs a punch.

ETA: I gave this to my 22-year old t read last week, and he was really moved and said he learned a lot and it is leading him to other reading about the history of the relationship b/w HK and the Mainland.

[CM · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely powerful essay collection from the (english-writing) reporters covering the 2019 protests. It is not exactly a book of an overview but the sharing from journalists on all the issues arising during that period, on how the government used language to divide the society, how to live and report amidst tear gas and rubber bullets, how to resist the editor's demand of "balanced reporting" that easily becomes propaganda of the government and many other more personal reflection. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone sympathetic to our failed struggle for democracy.

EDIT: It seems that this book is no longer available outside HK...:(

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading. Journalists responding from an empathetic and human perspective to the ongoing crisis in Hong Kong.

[xkdlaej · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read that shows what journalists think behind the scene (news reports). This book gives me a peep into how journalists' lives are like and the struggles they face when trying to report what they see. These articles made me rethink things (such as how we seem to welcome or even encourage Taiwan in using Hong Kong protests in election campaigns), and the question mentioned in "The Cost of Living": "Don't you think you are pushing those protesters to their deaths when you thank them for what they did? Why did you think that going to the frontline is something to be encouraged when you didn't go yourself, because you thought the price was too high to pay?" Reading this right after the anniversary of the start of the movement, seem to be appropriate as I needed to reflect on this past year to continue.

"New Territories" talks about how the protests severed family ties and friendship.

"Faces at a Distance" discusses how Hong Kong protests were "exploited" to strengthen the "sense of national doom" (亡國感) thus to mobilize voters.

"Feathery Down" compared different generations' "struggle against authority" (defiance against school rules vs participating in social movements against govt), documenting the encounters with the young "valiant" protesters.

"After He Fell" is about reporting Chow Tsz-Lok's fall and death, how it later spiralled into the most turbulent week of the movement, sparking the CUHK conflict and PolyU Siege.

"Missing Person" talks about Chan Tong-Kai's release and how he was seemingly made into a pawn by Reverend Peter Koon.

"The Adversary" is about reporting the August 11 arrest in Causeway Bay with a boy shouting "I'm sorry". How journalists deal with conflict in reporting the "truth". Is "truth" something to be "won" like on courts? Or is truth "found"? How should journalists report? By intellectualizing the scene into wordings or describing the scene in a visceral manner?

"Voiceless" is written by a journalist who was doxxed, facing pressure from his/her family to silence his/herself and needing to clean up the friend list on Facebook to prevent any other "betrayals".

"My Fish Tank Days" depict how journalists are like when nothing "big" happens. Talking about local news sites' efforts in covering "slower" Hong Kong stories about the issues in the community.

"The Cost of Living" discusses the different costs between the wealthy and the vulnerable when facing Hong Kong protests.

"A Day's Work" is about reporting the mental health crisis in June 2019, and the problem with "balanced reporting". (I think I've seen this report before as I recognize the wordings, I also guessed correctly that she worked in SCMP before checking.) Discussing how self-censorship and this need for "balance" blurs the focus of the article, also the double standard in including "both-sides" arguments in different articles.

"Home Front" talks about a journalist who grew up in CUHK campus and reports the CUHK conflict.

[Audacious Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of journalists writing for themselves is brilliant. Written by HK journalists who have been covering the city's protests, each essay is uniquely powerful in its own way, whether it's about covering protests first-hand, being doxxed and silenced, or fighting the invisible tug of war in the newsroom against censorship. The personal reflections are all the more powerful because the writers ask the hard questions: For instance, how do we create narratives about HK that transcend fear-mongering, or whether our language can reckon with the developments of HK? These reflections are both nuanced and honest.

[gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

a mixed bag, my fav essay was The Adversary by Holmes Chan

[Maxwell Sh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When an incident is taken over by politics, the people involved can find that their fates are out of their hands.”

A small but powerful collection of essays by journalists working in HK during the 2019 protests. Measured but honest, direct but poetic, realistic but hopeful.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small book, big ideas.

We live alongside invisible and visible faultlines. When a techtonic plate event shakes us, our divisions are delineated. Even after the dust has settled, we can't unsee them. The events this book speak to are still unfolding, still being lived, they are active faultlines building to the next techtonic shift.

Who will be subsumed? What new faults will appear? To all of this, journalists bear witness, and are shaken themselves. I'm grateful for these insights from those at the front lines of the Hong Kong protests, for their voices.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I can only recall one time when I felt I had an advantage over my adversary. As I was recording the assault, an officer kept blocking my view, so I shuffled around constantly to find a better angle. As any professional can tell you, journalists are not supposed to interact with the scene while filming—but I couldn’t help myself. To my eternal embarrassment, I blurted out the most pathetic and useless thing imaginable. / ‘Dude, he’s bleeding,’ I said.” (53)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As with many uprisings around the world, support and encouragement from a society’s upper echelons is what ultimately turns the tide”

We each have a part to play, and even by not choosing, you are still making a choice.

Must read book to elaborate the trauma (and for those who survived, the privilege) of living through Hong Kong 2019 anti-ELAB protests.

[Ric Poh Peng Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and insightful read. Comparing to the book of sharing internet media's perspectives, this book was more heartfelt and personal. This book does not seek to show answers but seek to understand the unseen scars left behind by a "shock"

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal, sincere, and touching.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book about the 2019 protests.

[Jim HJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite 3 pieces from the book:
1. Feathery Down (Elaine Yu)
2. Voiceless (Anonymous)
3. A Day’s Work (Rachel Cheung)

[Jerron Chan]

Primary Source

[Shameera Nair Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was very depressing and upsetting to read, though also sobering - don't think I need to say more

[xtie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the space given to writers to write whatever they want about hk, without forcing an overall narrative or theme. Ultimately though, I think this would have benefited from some stronger editorial choices - some essays stronger than others, some more overwrought etc

Regardless I didn’t expect to cry within the first few pages and feel the same heartache I compartmentalised for so long 💛🇭🇰