{"id":25479,"date":"2025-04-24T13:06:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T05:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=25479"},"modified":"2025-04-25T18:23:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T10:23:31","slug":"the-sound-of-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2025\/04\/the-sound-of-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sound of Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Protesters who joined the White Paper Movement two years ago stay silent now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Della Qing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University student Skylar Ho avoids news about politics and social issues in China, despite having joined the White Paper Movement protests during the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNowadays, I read less news related to social issues. I do not look for news to read. I only read the news when I come across stories on Instagram. Then I still read the entire report carefully,\u201d Ho says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m about to graduate. This semester I have no class. I feel like I’m living the life of a “lonely senior”. Every day I cook for myself. I am working on my dissertation. I read books, and watch movies and TV series. I also do exercise for an hour every night,\u201d Ho adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2022, thousands took to the streets across China to protest against the government\u2019s zero-COVID measures. Students from different universities in Hong Kong gathered at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus to protest. Holding white papers, students shouted slogans like \u201cLong Live Freedom\u201d and called for press freedom. Ho was one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In the protest in CUHK, people arranged the candles into the shape of “1124”. (Photo Courtesy of Finley Sun)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI followed news about the pandemic and protests closely at that time. I read and reposted angry messages criticizing the lockdown policy in China on Instagram. I think at that time we were in a powder keg about to explode,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the protest started in different cities, I spotted many messages about young people holding white papers in the protest. We had the same feeling and our hearts were connected no matter where we were,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ho shares she stays silent most of the time now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m now less passionate, brave, and idealistic than in 2022. The thought of \u2018nothing can be changed\u2019 haunts me, especially when the cost of speaking out is getting higher and higher. Considering the potential risks, I prefer to stay silent. But I\u2019m still thinking about social issues, and I chat about these with my friends,\u201d Ho says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn China, the media is the mouthpiece of the government. I think the government is trying to edit people\u2019s memory by preaching the fairy tale of prosperity and solidarity. They do not admit that they made tons of mistakes during the pandemic era, causing many deaths,\u201d she sighs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another postgraduate student Chloe Song, who also joined the Whiter Paper Movement protest shares Ho\u2019s depressing feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still remember the experience of being trapped in a lockdown in Shanghai. I felt so depressed that I couldn\u2019t sleep all night. I cried when I was lying in my bed. It\u2019s like I was sentenced to prison. I knew maybe someday I would be released, but I couldn\u2019t help but dwell on the tragic fact that I was in prison,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Song still reads news to learn what is happening in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s understandable that Chinese media outlets remain silent on issues related to the pandemic now because they are subject to strict censorship. I think this shows there is no systematic change despite many speaking out during the White Paper Movement,\u201d the business major student adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been hiking with my friends in Hong Kong recently. So far, I have completed hiking MacLehose Trail. I feel that when I am walking on the trails, I seem to be closer to Hong Kong. Also, I can experience the joy of sports while doing so,\u201d Song says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI talk about social issues with my friends. I think the most fortunate thing about coming to Hong Kong is that I have met some friends whom I can talk freely with,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 24-year-old student points out that the protest highlights the fact that the people have no say in public governance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that the zero COVID policy was lifted because of the protests. The movement failed to make changes on a national level. The social and political structure remains the same,\u201d she sighs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think leaving China is the best option, as there is no sign of change. Someone who was arrested during the White Paper Movement said to me: \u2018Slaves cannot become citizens with civic awareness unless this generation of slaves fades\u2019 after being released. This friend of mine has applied for political asylum in another country,\u201d Song says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite feeling hopeless about the future, the business major student also shares that she at least had the chance to speak up about social issues and has made friends with many like-minded people during the protest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an unforgettable experience for me. If the movement happens again, I will still take part in it but will think twice about safety,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another student, Finley Sun, is about to graduate and is worried about job hunting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A Protest Poster put up by Sun. (Photo Courtesy of Finley Sun) <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still have a lot of things to do for my final year project and course assignments. I’m completely overwhelmed. I have no time to look for a job,\u201d Sun says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI now focus on my own life. I mainly think about what to eat, when to meet my friends, when to turn in my homework, and how to plan my practice before the next running race. I still discuss social issues with friends sometimes, and I read and repost news on Instagram, but not as frequently as I did during the pandemic,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sun joined the protest at a Hong Kong university campus in 2022. She also held a piece of white paper in Prince Edward Station on 1st December 2022 with her friend, and they were intercepted by Hong Kong police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The protest slogans were written on the wall. (Photo courtesy of Finley Sun)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe police warned us saying we were involved in unlawful assembly. But later on, I checked the related ordinance, and I found out the law actually states the number of participants should be three or more. Obviously, we did not break the law. The police were just bluffing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2023, Chinese police officers visited her home in Mainland China looking for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut they didn\u2019t pursue the case when they could not find me. I guess they saw my immigration record and thought I was home. After one or two weeks, my mom received a call from the police and asked her to have a chat with the officers,\u201d Sun recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe police officers didn\u2019t tell my mom about the details. I think they only knew my name and what I did, but they didn\u2019t have any proof. So I just denied everything. They also did not further investigate,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe police just took some notes and kept the arrests for 24 hours in detention. It was more like a warning. I will do it again if I am put in a similar situation. I can afford this cost, \u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sun flew to Kaohsiung and watched An Unfinished Film on December 30, 2024 alone. She cried at the end. This movie reminded her of the traumas she went through during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film, directed by Lou Ye, a Chinese screenwriter and director, is a record of lockdowns that began in Wuhan in early 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film, which won the 61st Golden Horse Best Narrative Feature alongside Best Director, has not been released in China, and information about it is banned behind the Great Fire Wall in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat impressed me most is that this movie is a collection of videos about the pandemic, which were posted by ordinary people and went viral online. They were deleted by authorities. At the end of the movie, there is a line saying \u2018Thanks to all the people who filmed these untraced and deleted videos\u2019,\u201d Sun says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Cathleena Zhu and Emma Wei<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sub-edited by Celina Lu<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Protesters who joined the White Paper Movement two years ago stay silent now. By Della Qing University student Skylar Ho avoids news about politics and social issues in China, despite having joined the White Paper Movement protests during the COVID pandemic. \u201cNowadays, I read less news related to social issues. I do not look for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25479"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25514,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25479\/revisions\/25514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}