HK Stories | Bonham Tree Aid

Hong Kong Stories

The poem reads: "The beacon fire has gone higher and higher; Words from household are worth their weight in gold." Many Hong Kong stories today are difficult to share freely, becoming heavy manuscripts, it seems, are now also priceless treasures. Can the ancient verse, "On war-torn land streams flow and mountains stand" capture the collective emotions of today's Hong Kong people?

Bonham Tree Aid bears witness to history and engraving the evidence of the times. Each page is a narrative chronicling the identity of Hong Kong.

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(Some articles are HongKongese available only)

【Tuen Mun–Yuen Long–Tin Shui Wai local convicted despite never going to the front line; collective punishment and forced head-shaving in prison, with cockroaches crawling over his bed】

The question of remembering and forgetting does not exist only in public discussion. After being unjustly imprisoned, or becoming caught up in conflicts both inside and outside prison, some fellow activists may want nothing more than to put everything behind them and forget — to stop being tormented by the experience of arrest and imprisonment. Others choose to confront what happened directly, searching for ways to express the delayed, suppressed emotions that accumulated beh

The Script He Wrote in Prison - Imprisonment, the Loss of a Profession, and Beginning Again

When I met Po for the interview, he placed a sheet of paper on the table. Confused, I slowly examined the creased page, which was filled with a nine-square grid. In the middle of the paper, the word "metamorphosis" was written in large letters. Around it were items, including training his abs, learning Spanish, writing letters, and reading the Bible. These seemingly random activities were promises Po had made to himself while he was imprisoned. When he was arrested, Po ha

“After leaving Hong Kong, my whole identity disappeared.”

“After leaving Hong Kong, my whole identity disappeared. The experience and networks I built over the years became useless. I can barely even remember the ideals I once had about civil society and social work.” I first met Y at an open mic night in a Hong Kong–run bar in Taiwan. That evening he was sitting in the middle of a group of friends who were egging him on to go up and sing. I can’t remember what he sang — perhaps something by Leslie Cheung or Beyond. In any case it w

【He was a social worker-to-be until his licence renewal was rejected; a hundred Job applications left him without Income for 10 months】

The reality faced by formerly incarcerated people is often beyond public imagination. “They continue to be oppressed and deprived of opportunities. There is another wall beyond the prison walls,” David says. “Returning to normality is a false hope when you can’t even find someone willing to hire you.” I called David for this interview while I was overseas. He was in Hong Kong, on a bus journey home. I recognised the familiar announcement in the background: “Next stop is…”. I

Street Dreams Paused in a Single Night — Changing Paths in Search of Purpose

Once trapped in the mire of comparing himself with peers “I wouldn’t give up the life I have now in exchange for a stable job.” “All the decisions were my own choices. They made me who I am today.” Stories of fellow activists being forced to abandon their studies or careers after school, under various forms of pressure and repression, have been countless in recent years. For Evan (pseudonym), imprisonment did not only mean that the life plans he had made during his university

【From Streets to Bar Counter: A Solitary Upgrade — “Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night”]

“The ultimate goal isn’t just to deal with the enemies in front of us, but to build a better society. And to achieve that, there must be moral recognition for selfless action, along with a stable support system behind it.” Chris swirls the milk in a steel pitcher, taps out the bubbles. Tilting the cup slightly, a thin stream of white falls onto the surface of the coffee, first sketching a crescent, then shaking out wings. With a final pull, the neck goes crooked. He sets the

An Uncommon “Boarding School” Experience

Growing up overnight Every summer, university campuses and the streets of Hong Kong are filled with groups of first-year students exploring the city with newly made friends during orientation camps (commonly known as O Camps), marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For Ah Ho, however, the summer of 2019, and the time that followed behind bars, became an altogether uncommon kind of orientation experience, leaving him with memories that are bittersweet and dee

Through the Narrow Gate to the Unknown: Teddy’s Adapting and Rebuilding

“The most difficult state has passed. Rather than being consumed by fear, why don’t just step forward?” Teddy says. “Coming out of the rehabilitation centre was like entering a new gate. It is a not second life, because I have not forgotten the past. Instead, I’ve overcome it, and the pieces of the past make me who I am now.” Teddy sounds composed as he explains his thinking, as if he has practised the line many times to present his story to the world. But he was not like th

Carrying Forward the Hong Kong Memory

A Chef’s Journey from the Streets to the Dining Table “For you, it may be the past; for many, it is a present that never ends.” Late at...

Severely Sentenced for Protecting Fellow Protesters & Never Giving Up After Jail— A Middle-Aged Protester, “Uncle Kan,” Reflects on His Life After Release

The immense momentum of the 2019 protest movement was not only about breaking away from the previous “peaceful, rational, non-violent” approach. Among those wearing black bloc and taking part in direct action were people of all ages. In this issue of Bonham Tree, “Uncle Kan” (a pseudonym to protect his identity) speaks in the first person about his journey—from participating in the movement, to imprisonment, to re-entering society—and why he initially applied for humanitarian

From Iron Bars to Distant Shores (Part 2) : A Mother’s Struggle and Journey

// From tearful prison visits to lying alone in a hospital bed — she bore it all to hold herself and her broken family together. With...

From Prison Wall to the Distant Ocean (Part 1) : A Mother's fight and exile

//After her child was sentenced, she lost her sense of purpose and could not cry anymore. While having a long-needed getaway abroad, she...

The vision of music lights up the Bonham Tree pathway

Music is more than a stream of sounds in the days spent in exile on foreign lands. It is a dialogue between your emotions, a vibration in the heart. It is a stunning symphony where joy is interwoven with woe and it fills its listeners with the energy for come what may tomorrow. Music conjures the magical interaction between memories of the past and daydreams for the future. It plants a seed of belief in a limitless future in the depth of each heart. It is this effusive melody

Hunted by the Regime’s Financial Persecution

Protester: “Only by leaving can I find happiness” Many comrades have been arrested and sentenced because of their involvement in the...

Support Comrades Despite Escalating Suppression

KK, an Individual Providing Support for the Incarcerated: "I have to help. There's no time to be afraid." Is there a reconciliation in...

【Lost and Uncertain – The Compulsory Course for Protesters After Class】

*Image is a fictional representation, not the actual appearance of the interviewee. “Loss” is a subject many protesters must learn. In the pursuit of justice and ideals, long before we ever come close to the goal, loss is inevitable. Yung’s story is simple, but it is the kind of simplicity that conceals complexity. It could be summarised in a single line: “A teacher struck off for protesting loses __.” At first glance, one might expect that blank to be filled with “job”, “tea

3. “Spoke out and got caught four times inside the Great Firewall — I don’t think I’m courageous.”

Previously: Liu Feilong, a man from Guangdong, spoke for Hong Kong alone in the Netherlands. Even though no Hongkongers joining, he still...

2. I didn’t want to go to Hong Kong, so I wouldn’t disturb Hongkongers’ daily lives.

Previously on... Fei Long Liu, a Cantonese man, has been organising protests and rallies for Hong Kong in the Netherlands. Although he...

1. I have 5 ‘Liberate Hong Kong’ flags, 3 ‘Hong Kong Independence’ flags, 2 ‘British colonial Hong Kong’ flags but no courageous flag bearers from the HongKonger community.

‘Fei Long Liu’ (Romanised) is not a HongKonger. He has never been to Hong Kong barred from flight transits. However, he staged a solitary...

“After the Arrest, I Moved Further Forward.”

“Since arrested already, no matter one charge or two, that’s jail anyway.” Over ten thousand people were arrested during the 2019...