Hong Kong pays the price of dissent – was it worth it?

Defying the Dragon – Hong Kong and the World Largest Dictatorship, Stephen Vines well-received account of Hong Kong’s 2019/20 protests, has now been updated and issued in paperback to reflect developments since the book was first published 3 years ago.

The uprising presented the biggest street level challenge to the PRC since the 1989 Tiananmen protests. The ongoing crackdown that followed has raised the question of whether Hongkongers were right to launch this audacious challenge.

In this talk, Vines addresses this question and, with the perspective offered as the Hong Kong protests approach their fifth anniversary he reflects on the situation in the former colony and how it came to pass.

About the speaker

Stephen Vines is a journalist, writer and broadcaster who worked in Hong Kong for 35 years before leaving in 2021 to escape the consequences of the draconian National Security Law. He was the presenter of the public broadcasters’ last surviving TV current affairs show. Previously he was the founding editor of the daily ‘Eastern Express’ newspaper. 

During his time in Hong Kong he worked as a correspondent for The Sunday Times. The Observer, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and the BBC. He is the author of several books, Defying the Dragon, is the most recent.

Chair: Professor Steve Tsang, Director, SOAS China Institute

Registration

This event is open to the public and free to attend, however registration is required. 

Please note that this event is taking place on campus and will not be recorded or live-streamed.

Organiser

• SOAS China Institute

Contact

• Email: sci@soas.ac.uk

Image by Simon Zhu via Unsplash