The world facing Hong Kong graduates looks very different compared to when they started as university students
In some ways, life in Hong Kong is the same as it ever was. The dim sum is still delicious, the iconic “ding ding” still rings out from bustling trams, the sun still shines on beautiful beaches, and the scenic hiking trails are busy on weekends. But in other ways, life is very different, and Hong Kong has seen a lot of changes in the last two years. In the ‘before time’, you might have skimmed this article on your laptop in your office seat, but now you might be reading from your mobile while working from home and also trying to supervise your children. In the ‘before time’, you might have left a critical comment on a news article or posted about it on social media. Now, you might not. COVID-19 and the cultural changes resulting from the protests and the National Security Law (NSL) have affected almost everyone in Hong Kong, but perhaps none more so than university students who are preparing to graduate in a very uncertain era in Hong Kong.
Muted and masked
Ever since the NSL was passed at the end of June 2020, there has been a new tentativeness in the political discussions between my friends. We avoid discussing political issues in public areas and we worry about being recorded or filmed without our knowledge and having an innocent remark taken out of context. Likewise, thanks to COVID-19, everyone has to wear a mask, which physically muffles our voices—in addition to our own self-censorship. It has always been my goal to work for a magazine or an art publication and, fortunately, this career path has not been affected by the changes of the last two years. However, many fellow university students finishing their studies have had to change their plans.
Edward: new path, same destination
Edward, a final year student studying Public Policy and Politics at City University of Hong Kong, has been an active participant in political activities to protest social injustice. He dreamed of one day serving the city as a District Councillor. When the NSL was passed his political participation slumped and he started to “consider more cautiously” before getting involved in any political campaign. Edward still has his heart set on serving the community, but his post-graduation plan has now shifted to working for a non-governmental organisation. “It is less politically sensitive and it will protect me from being charged,” he says.
Bowie: Come or go, she stays
Like me, Bowie is a student at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in her final year studying International Journalism. She has heard that people have left the news industry because of the NSL, and some have even relocated from Hong Kong—partly also due to difficulties with traveling due to Hong Kong’s quarantine restrictions. But Bowie is passionate about working in the press industry and proud of being from Hong Kong: “I will stay in Hong Kong and continue to pursue a career as a journalist.”
Bertha: Plan A remains, but Plan B is also in progress
Hoping to become a freelance filmmaker after graduation, Bertha is finishing her last year as a journalism student in the New and Creative Media stream at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. While she doesn’t intend to change her plans, she has had second thoughts about pursuing her career in Hong Kong.
“I have encountered a lot of nervousness about ‘red lines’ in the industry,” says Bertha. “Even guests in programmes ask the crew to cut the recorded footage because they are not sure exactly what is okay to say, and what is not.” As the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration has amended the ordinance to prohibit films that are considered in violation of the NSL, Bertha is uncertain of the film industry’s future in Hong Kong.
Clarice: Staying in Hong Kong but studying an Australian program
Clarice is a year 3 Journalism student enrolled in the Hong Kong Baptist University – University of Queensland (UQ) double degree programme. This programme is designed to enable HKBU students to study abroad in Australia at the UQ for a year. However, because of the Covid lockdown, the double-degree students—including Clarice—were not permitted to enter Australia to study. The programme was postponed for one semester, so students took courses from HKBU in the interim. “The arrangement of [HKBU] was quite confusing,” says Clarice. “We had to inform the academic registry what kind of courses we had to take ourselves, and they did not send us our class timetable until three or four days before the semester began. I am not sure if I will eventually be able to study abroad or not.”
Hamish: Hands on laptop in Hong Kong, but no in-person experience in Australia
Hamish, one of Clarice’s classmates, is also enrolled in the dual degree programme. He wanted to gain hands-on experience of different journalism practices in an English-speaking country. The program was supposed to provide him with an opportunity to acquire practical journalistic experience in Australia, but now he is merely sitting in front of a laptop in Hong Kong with lecture notes in his hands. Like Clarice, Hamish was informed in late December 2020 by email that the study abroad programme would be postponed and that students should stay in their home country. “Postponement was not a bad move,” says Hamish. “But the problem was [UQ] notified us too late, and they should have communicated with us before making the decision.”
The only constant in life is change
Of course people all over the world have been changing their plans since the world began, and will continue to do so. Indeed, many people in Hong Kong had very similar experiences in the lead-up to the handover from Britain to China in 1997. But what remains to be seen is if life in Hong Kong will settle down again—like it did in the years after 1997—or if the status quo in Hong Kong is about to become very different. Whatever the case may be, if Hong Kong’s university students have learned anything in the last two years it is that there will always be change, and so it is good to learn how to be adaptable and resilient.