Not an easy year

It was a year of chaos and uncertainty for HK.?There were tears and acts of love and courage in 2019 during the anti-government protests. Nobody can remain detached from the prolonged political turmoil. China Daily chose 10 ordinary people from different sectors and asked them to share their experiences, views and determination to get the city back on the right track.

When China Daily interviewed Kwan, in September, the 59-year-old mother had not seen her youngest son for nearly two months after an angry argument about the Hong Kong protests.

The young man of 25 whom Kwan remembers had a quiet, warmhearted personality.

She saw a different son that day in late July. He flew into a rage, pushed Kwan aside and stormed out the door. Kwan has not heard from him since, and her messages to him go unanswered.

"My heart is broken and I feel like life has turned gray in these weeks since," Kwan said, her eyes welling with tears.

Kwan has three sons, all of whom joined the anti-government demonstrations. She said they protested peacefully, but she concluded that her efforts to dissuade them might "pour gasoline on fire." She conceded she has difficulty curbing her temper when it comes to discussing the city's current difficulties, and that's when trouble begins.

"Now I've learned to skip the topic when talking with my kids. I hope the tension gradually eases, but I know the rifts between me and my sons will never be thoroughly healed," Kwan said.

During the city's protracted social unrest, tour guides are suffering, badly. Most don't get a basic salary. Their incomes rely on commissions from hosting tour groups.

"No visitors, no income," said Stephen Chan Siu-lun, chairman of the Hong Kong Certified Tour Escort Association. These past few months, he says his income has dropped to a third of what it is normally.

Statistics show that Hong Kong's visitor arrivals this August, dropped nearly 40 percent year-on-year. This year's National Day holiday, normally a "Golden Week" for tourists to visit Hong Kong, saw visitor numbers drop by 50 percent from normal, as mainland tourists chose to go somewhere else.

Some travel agencies are laying off staffalready. If it gets any worse, some of the small travel agencies will have to close, he said.

Some other tour guides have quit their jobs, looking for new employment, or they are trying to make do by working part time. Amid the tough days, when the whole city has been caught in the uproar, jobs are scarce.

"How can you create enough new jobs to cope with rising unemployment when everyone is hunting for a job?" Chan asked rhetorically.

Chiang, a freshly minted inspector, said she felt "lucky" to have entered the force during its toughest test. She learned a lot - and she had to learn fast.

The 27-year-old started as a trainee at the police college in August 2018. She graduated in June - just when the troubles started. "I decided to be a policewoman. I wanted to serve the people. The long hours on the front lines put me in a better position to learn," Chiang said.

In addition to danger on the frontline, Chiang heard plenty of verbal abuse directed at her. Some radicals, noticing that she was a woman, even threatened that one day, retribution shall fall on her children.

"I made no response to them. They wanted to make me lose control," the 27-year-old said.

In October, Chiang started getting crank calls. She had to change her number. In the meantime, her name, photos, social media accounts, and home address were posted online.

It was stressful. She feared for her family and worried that more private information would be spread on social media. Even changing her phone number set off a bout of paranoia. She was afraid that even phone company staff would come across her "profile" on the internet and identify her.

Despite that, Chiang never doubted that she was doing the right thing.

Peter Bentley, a Hong Kong permanent resident of British origin, did not expect to become an internet celebrity after he spoke to the press on camera a day after masked radical protesters stormed the city's Legislative Council building.

On July 1, the 70-year-old went back and forth around Admiralty to watch the police-protester scuffles outside the LegCo complex, mainly out of curiosity.

Expecting the situation would die down soon, he went home at about 5 pm. When he's home, he was stunned at the escalating scenes on television.

Bentley said protesters who resort to violence went too far and overrode all the good work done by most Hong Kong people who expressed their views in a peaceful way.

For Hong Kong's youngsters, who make up about 40 percent of over 6,000 arrested people since massive protests erupted in June, he said they have to recognize the great progress the Chinese mainland has made. He believed it was their ignorance and misunderstanding that have led to their bias.

Bentley said it is a tragedy that young people do not count their blessings - living in such a free and prosperous society with the enviably abundant opportunities.

On the night in August when the Tsim Sha Tsui division of the Hong Kong Police came under attack by hundreds of radicals throwing gasoline bombs, a fire bomb flew over the station wall, setting on fire an officer standing guard outside the building. Auxiliary police officer Wong immediately snuffed out the fire, sparing the fallen officer further injury.

Wong has been an auxiliary police officer for over 25 years but that night was one of the most terrifying in his memory.

His colleague whom he saved suffered second-degree burns to 10 percent of his body, while Wong himself suffered burns on his calf and wrist, and bruises.

Wong was one of the over-3,000 auxiliary police officers who saw action. Since the police have struggled with inadequate manpower to contain the escalating violence in the city, Wong, also a full-time safeguard, has regularly been assigned to help police managing public order during major events and holidays.

After he was injured during the August riot, his family urged him to cut back on his part-time hours. He insisted on carrying out his duty. "I could at least handle simple daily tasks to relieve pressure on my colleagues," he said.

Benny Lee, a taxi driver who was part of the early demonstrations against the extradition bill, says he is against the current form of protest which has turned violent.

The forty-five year old has been working as a taxi driver for six years. He joined the protests in Hong Kong against the now-withdrawn extradition bill on June 16, but before long he found radicals have gone overboard.

What then infuriated Lee most was the fires radicals started everywhere. He thinks the consequences of the arson outbreaks are inconceivable. "No matter what demands the protesters may have, arson exceeds the boundaries," he said.

"When I supported them, and they just blocked roads, not doing anything serious, it was fine even if I made less money," Lee said.

But the current violence has escalated to a point that Lee could no longer stand. "Much of what they (radical protesters) have done has outraged people, because of the extreme violence," Lee decried.

Angelo Giuliano, a financial consultant, remains uncertain whether to leave Hong Kong where he has lived for three years.

The 50-year-old Swiss explained that during the city's prolonged social unrest, he found local people too engaged in politics. He does not want his 2-year-old son to grow up in a polarized society.

Another major concern is the safety of his family. "In the past several months, every time my wife took my son outside, I was worried about their safety, for fear of being attacked," said Giuliano, whose wife hails from the Chinese mainland.

Giuliano was shocked when he saw the video of a mainland reporter assaulted and unlawfully imprisoned at the airport for hours but no one managed to get him out of there. At that moment, he realized things had gone out of control.

Giuliano participated into the assembly against violence in mid-December. He thought that when protesters began to beat up others who held different views, they strayed too far from the ideals of "freedom" and "democracy" that they claim to be fighting for.

Giuliano cherished the opportunity of rallying because it could be the last chance for him to stand up and air his views as the city is close to a point of no return, when everybody will lose.

A group of volunteers ventured out on the Boxing Day morning, and began removing offensive graffiti, anti-government posters, and picking up piles of rubbish scattered all the way from Causeway Bay to Central, Hong Kong's business heartland.

They used spray from bottles, to soften stickers and flyers plastered on the surfaces of the bridge, and then took hand trowels or power drill brushes to scrape the surfaces clean. Some were also repainting the exteriors of barricades.

This cleaning was organized by Jacky Ko Chung-kit and his two friends who make "flash appearances" in vandalized areas across the city. The anti-government protesters have taken to the streets across the city, plastering public spaces with flyers and graffiti, to express their fury at the government.

The campaign started in August, with a dozen residents caming out to lend their support. Now more than a hundred, young and old, from all walks of life, joined in during this Christmas holiday, which also marked the 20th straight week of this civic-minded exercise.

As his story went viral, Ko's personal information, including his name, phone number and home address, were posted online by radicals. He also received death threats. "I do feel depressed about the harassment. But I should step forward and thus more people can follow suit," he said.

This conviction was reinforced in September after radicals used black paint to deface a Tai Po monument in memory of the martyrs, who died of resisting Japanese aggression in WWII. When Ko was going to clean up the monument alone at night, his friends warned him not to, saying it was "too far, too late, and too dangerous." Hours later, six more people join his effort.

"We must protect those who once protected us," he said.

On Sept 15, Chow Hiu-tung, 49, was beaten unconscious after chastising anti-government protesters who were waving American and Japanese flags.

Chow recalled he had just left work when he spotted a group of demonstrators near the crossroads of busy Gloucester and Marsh roads on Hong Kong Island. It was about 4:50 pm. As the crowd came closer, he saw that it was made up of radical protesters. They were demonstrating against Hong Kong's extradition amendment bill, which already had been withdrawn.

Infuriated, Chow rebuked the demonstrators and shouted, "Love China! I am Chinese."

Immediately, Chow was surrounded. A video of the incident shows dozens of masked and black-clad rioters attacking and beating him for more than 30 seconds. Some radicals tried to use umbrellas to hide the assault from cameras.

Chow fell, out of consciousness. He bled from his nose and mouth and was taken to a hospital, where his condition initially was listed as critical.

Chow was discharged a few days later. Several bruises on his body were stark reminders of the bloody confrontation. He also lost three teeth.

Chow said he would do the same again if confronted in a similar situation. He confesses, however, next time, "I will check whether I am alone or have companions as these rioters are too aggressive."

Kate Lee Hoi-wu, 51, got a shock when her small family business took a U-turn after she spoke out at a pro-police rally in late June against the festering street violence.

Her cafe and herself became the target of hateful telephone calls and nasty complaints online. Most comments were attributed to radical anti-government protesters, resentful over her outspoken support for police.

Her business plummeted by more than a half, during the three weeks after the rally. Protesters called for a boycott of her cafe. She lost some loyal diners. Unfounded complaints citing food safety and sanitation reasons snowballed.

Tension also emerged in the family, as her son didn't agree with her political views which may put their livelihood - the family business - at stake.

"People ask me whether I am afraid. I told them I was. Who wouldn't be afraid of being attacked or having her business destroyed?" she said.

To her surprise, the cafe's revenue that had bottomed out in August now enjoys a record high. Her business has won support from retired and off-duty police officers, lawmakers, teachers and other civic-minded residents.

Lee eventually reconciled with her son, who got to understand her mom's hardships and undertakings. Her story also spread on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter. Her cafe was featured at the top of an online food guide on the mainland and drew many diners from the north.