On Dec. 31, while hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens participated in countdown activities across Hong Kong to cheer the arrival of 2023, a dozen or so Hong Kong people went to the top of the Lion Rock. They held up a luminaire combo showcasing the “Free HK Political Prisoners” slogan to the thousands of households below in the hope that freedom will return to Hong Kong with all political prisoners currently remanded in prison being released soon.
With the relaxation of local COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures and the lifting of social distance restrictions, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens flocked to various locations in Hong Kong to participate in the countdown.
According to official figures, more than 330,000 people were cheering the countdown on both sides of Victoria Harbour on New Year’s Eve. The regional weather data recorded was just 7.7 degrees Celsius (45.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at midnight on Tai Mo Shan (the highest peak in Hong Kong) and about nine degrees e (48.2 F) on top of the Lion Rock.
More than a dozen Hong Kong people braved the freezing wind and went to the top of the Lion Rock, a traditional symbol of the Hong Kong spirit to never give up. They waved their lights toward the Wong Tai Sin and Shatin areas expressing their desire for the early release of all those imprisoned under political persecution.
Later, some of them raised and let flutter in the wind the banner “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” and chanted the slogan repeatedly.
One protestor at the event, who did not want to be named, lamented that his family would leave Hong Kong permanently soon, and he was “climbing the Rock” for the last time on this New Year’s Eve to keep the scene of thousands of lights under the hill in his memory forever. Someone then shot a laser beam into the sky and down the slope. There were similar flashes from both directions very soon as replies, echoing each other in harmony.
Another unnamed participant said, “candlelight is a kind of hope for me, a hope to find the truth. There is no chance that I will give up hope.” “As long as there remains a candlelight, however small, it can still bring me strength,” she added.
She continued, “I can still do a lot of things. In fact, I have continued doing everything that I did before. I just want to tell those who emigrated, those in exile, and those inside the walls (in prison) that we have never given up. The people of Hong Kong still miss everyone who participated in this revolution.”
After 2019, Hong Kong people continued to climb up Lion’s Rock and hold up signs such as “Save the 12 (the 12 Hong Kong people case)” and “FAITH” to express their other demands. The protestors wanted to let the thousands of families down the hill know there were still people willing to persevere.
On June 30, 2020, the Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect. Media organizations that have always been regarded as representing the voices of the people, such as Apple Daily, Stand News, Citizen news, and the like, were forced to close and were purged one after another.
Most of the pro-democracy political groups, trade unions, and civic organizations have also been disbanded one by one under various sorts of political pressures. Many Hong Kong people who had the courage to speak out for Hong Kong’s freedom were charged with various crimes and imprisoned.
Under such a harsh political environment, Hong Kong people have lost the freedom of expression they previously enjoyed and have resorted to expressing their opinions in low-key, ironic, and metaphorical ways.
