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)

“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

【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...

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...

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