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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.
(Some articles are HongKongese available only)
“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
【新晉社工出獄後兩度被拒續牌 10 個月零收入、上百份 CV 石沉大海】
(only HongKongese version is Available) 「社會大眾如何能想像到釋囚出獄後要面對什麼？他們一直被壓迫、被剝奪機會，面對牆外還有牆的困局，想重返常軌往往只是一種奢望，光是有雇主願意聘請已經很不容易。」 訪談當天，我從海外打電話給 David。那端傳來巴士引擎的震動聲，他說自己正在搭車回家。車廂廣播着「下一站係……」，久違得讓我一時未能反應過來。那一刻我才意識到：他是第一個在香港的公眾場合受訪的。同行記者問他，會否有所顧忌？他說，他並不覺得自己特別勇敢；「我判完、坐完，沒露面沒出名，所以都沒什麼所謂。」 2019 年，David 仍是社工系學生，因參與示威而遭拘捕，其後被控暴動。那時，他已完成學業，亦已符合成為註冊社工的學歷與實習要求。學院、老師與實習機構對他的表現並無質疑，也未曾因案件而否定他的專業能力。其後，他被判入獄，實際服刑約二十個月。 入獄前，David 原本預期，只要刑期結束，生活便可以在某種程度上回到原有軌道。真正令他感到不安的，反而是在囚期間的日常條件：衣物難以清洗，個人衛生受限，生活節奏被徹底剝
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
【 從街頭到吧台的獨自升級：「不要溫馴地走入良夜」】
(only HongKongese version is Available) 「最終目標唔止係解決當前敵人，仲要建立一個更好嘅社會，而要做到呢樣嘢，就要有對無私行動嘅道德認可，同一個穩定嘅後援體系。」 Chris 把牛奶在鋼杯裡旋轉幾下，敲掉氣泡。杯子微微傾斜，細白的奶流落到咖啡表面，先勾出半月，再抖出翅膀。最後一拉，脖子歪了。他把杯子推到一邊，重新打奶。 這是 Chris 在英國最日常的風景：清晨七點不到，他已經站在吧台後開始一天的工作。作為連鎖咖啡店的早班店員，他每天要沖出無數杯講究速度與一致性的拿鐵，但在難得的空檔裡，他總會把時間花在練習繁複的天鵝拉花上。他說，他偏愛「搵有困難嘅嘢做」。2019 年，他十五歲，第一次參與社運。從學校課室走到街頭，最後走進理大圍城。 在那之前，Chris 的生活普通得不能再普通。中四學生，成績一般，日子漫無目的，放學就跟朋友行街，或者回家打 LOL。雖然從小對中國有種模糊的排斥感，但那年夏天，他才第一次和朋友走上街頭。隨著催淚煙瀰漫、喊聲不斷，那些模糊的反感終於被賦予了明確的形狀，指向那個無形卻真實的、壓
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
【跨過窄門，划向未知的河流：泰德的擺渡與重整】
(only HongKongese version is Available) 泰德：「既然已經走過最艱難的關口，恐懼無用，不如面對。」 「從更生中心出來後，就好像開啟了一扇門。不是什麼『第二段人生』，因為我沒有忘記過去，而是經歷過、跨越了，把零散的碎片拼湊起來，復歸為完整的我。」泰德說這話時，語氣沉穩而有條理，彷彿早已在心中默默排練過無數次，如何向世界講述自己的生命故事，以此證明自身的價值。 泰德形容，過去的自己很「驚青」，不敢嘗試，害怕失敗，也怕被取笑。中學時期，他像被困在透明的玻璃罩裡，隔著距離觀察世界，卻從未真正踏入其中。課堂上，他抗拒僵化、沉悶的學習模式，卻沒有其他選擇。即使見證了反國教、雨傘運動，他依然只是旁觀者。直到反送中運動爆發，他被捕、被控意圖管有攻擊性武器，人生才徹底翻轉。 那時他年紀尚輕，被判入更生中心六、七個月。他說，那是一種高度紀律卻空洞無比的生活：步操、手作課、短暫的放風，日復一日，「虛度光陰」。 「很多社運的小朋友都進來了，令懲教壓力陡增。裡面人多又雜，簡直是個隱形的戰場。」泰德回憶道。在那裡，一言一行稍有不慎，就可
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...
示威現場出手保護同路人被重判 面對放學後跌宕起伏未言棄 中年手足根叔自述放學後經歷
(only HongKongese version is Available) 2019抗爭運動凝聚能量之大，不僅僅在於告別以往「和理非」範式，black bloc着裝、參與直接行動示威之間，有不同年齡手足。今期細葉榕手足故事，將由根叔（為保護身份化名）第一人稱出發，講述參...
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...
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...
Be Your Own Sun — Don’t Wait for ‘Stars’ to Save You
In recent years, as more Hongkongers have settled in the UK, the Liberate Hong Kong” flag and other slogans from the 2019 movement have...
“I’ve started it, and I have to do it well”
In the recent wave of emigration from Hong Kong, many families left with children and even elderly relatives. Yet among the most deeply affected by the anti-extradition movement were young students who fled abroad because of the risks they faced, or because they already had criminal records. One such person is Ah Sing, a member of Bonham Tree. Though his future in the UK remains uncertain, his work with the organisation has marked the beginning of a new chapter. Through his r
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