#OpinionArticle

A Thousand Reasons by Li-Yi

During the signing of the phase one agreement, President Donald Trump talked excitedly for an hour as if celebrating a victory. Liu He, the vice-premier sent to sign it on behalf of China, read aloud President Xi’s letter, “We have a thousand reasons to make China-US relations work and not a single reason to disrupt it.”

Looking back at all the official statements from Chinese media in the last two years, have they not been accusing the US of supporting Hong Kong rioters and Hong Kong independence as well as interfering in the presidential elections in Taiwan? The US passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act all against China. The Americans even sold arms and ammunition to Taiwan. Should there not actually be a thousand reasons to destroy China-US relations and not a single reason to make it work? How would the slaves who listened to their Chinese masters and protested against the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in front of the Consulate General of the United States interpret Xi’s statement? Would they consider it to be humiliating the nation and forfeiting sovereignty?

Full translation: https://telegra.ph/A-Thousand-Reasons-by-Li-Yi-01-26

Source: Apple Daily
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200117/CQPDGQFQ3WKTNIVLXLHMKBCF24/

#TradeWar #LeeYee #LiYi #ChineseCharacteristics

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 1/6

Li Yi is 83 years old. According to him, he takes several medicines a day, for diabetes, for whatever ... and sleeping pills. He often said that he couldn't sleep well since he was young, but he still wrote five newspaper columns a week and did "one-minute reading" for RTHK. Li Yi reads all kinds of news online, and he is no less enthusiastic than younger people. There is a Thai helper who cooks and serves him. Other than that, his home is only a house full of books.

Li Yi's family is all in foreign countries and his late wife was buried in Canada, but he is still struggling in Hong Kong alone. Li Yi said that at this stage, he probably should be with family and write his own autobiography. "Of course I can still write if I leave Hong Kong." However, Li Yi cannot not let go of Hong Kong and leave. He states that ever since Hong Kong’s future problems in 1981, he has been "love Hong Kong" and since then "the feelings for China have been very weak."

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/83-year-old-Li-Yi-I-dont-have-long-to-live-but-I-believe-Hong-Kong-young-people-have-wisdom-beyond-imagination-16-03-07

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#BasicLaw #TiananmenMassacre #Democracy #SinoBritishJointDeclaration #OneCountryTwoSystems #SARS

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 2/6

▶️ Part One

The Chinese are beyond the imagination of the world

"Since a large number of suddenly-rich Chinese flooded into Hong Kong, everything changed. After the United States shifted its containment policy to engagement, the United States had great expectations for China. They all believed that as long as a country gets rich, there would be enough middle class. Then, the country would inevitably move towards democracy, and the system will change. Well, Of course, now you can see that, this is not the case. Haha. Because some things are out of expectation. For example, after the Chinese got rich, they were not improving and became engaged in the system of their country to protect their private property and family, but moved members and assets abroad. I don’t think this would be something that the people in the government and the successful people in any other country would do. Transferring assets abroad, and continuing to maintain slavery and autocratic system in their home country to exploit the others. This is beyond the expectation of Westerners."

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/The-Chinese-are-beyond-the-imagination-of-the-world-03-16

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#Taiwan #Taiwanese #Discrimination #DAndG #AntiParallelTrader #democracy #Mainlanders

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 3/6

▶️ Part Two

How can despair be sustained?

“With the epidemic in mind these days, I started reading The Plague by Albert Camus. The novel touches upon the feeling of despair, and how it is regrettable to feel despair; and ‘that the habit of despair is worse than despair itself’. This is not to say that resistance necessarily leads to the achievement of our goals or the attainment of freedom, but in the process of a struggle, we are free. You are free when you participate in the struggle. I believe that many young people enjoy the freedom and the self-realization in this struggle. This is why pessimism should not mean passivism, you should face your life with active participation. Be free in all kinds of imaginable struggles. For instance, the Anti-Extradition Law movement, it may seem like we have not achieved much, but I actually think that Hong Kong has benefited much from it."

//China was dying and people had to save China. This changed from the original intent to learn about freedom and the rule of law from the West

//The pursuit of equality is natural. Socialism is indeed an ideal.

//the intentions may be good, but if the means to an end is evil, it is still evil.

//the British government did a fine job implementing the rule of law so everyone could do as they wished.

//The Hong Kong British Government did not think they would get the support of Hong Kong citizens. They saw that most Hong Kong people were Chinese...The letter from the Governor of Hong Kong, David Trench, to the United Kingdom said that he never thought they would have the support of the Hong Kong people

//Hong Kong was governed by the British since the 19th century, it accepted Western culture, and preserved a pre-modern environment of tolerance.

//Hong Kong was now in shock and without the protection of British rule; its illusions about China were shattered. It was then that indigenous awareness was once again aroused in people’s consciousness.

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/How-can-despair-be-sustained-03-28

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#OneCountryTwoSystems #Freedom #Hongkonger #RuleOfLaw #1967Riot #Socialism #Autocracy #Democracy #CCP

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 4/6

▶️ Part 3

The outbreak of anti-extradition bill changes the perception towards young people

Li Yi cares most about freedom and individuality. He parted ways with the left-wing, the country and socialism. He came over to support the local and young people who were not popular with the mainstream. In the past 80 years, he has seen too many terrible things, he has seen too many political clutches and persecutions. He doesn't care about others' praise and deprecation. I don't know how tough his heart is in his wrinkled body. If we are Skywalker, Li Yi will be Master Yoda, who is nearly 900 years old.

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/The-outbreak-of-anti-extradition-bill-changes-the-perception-towards-young-people-04-04

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#LiveBoardcast #ChanYinLam #Courage #CommittedSuicide #HongKongIdentity #PolyUSiege #HongKongHandOver #ParallelTrade #EdwardLeung #antiELAB #Frontliners #PoliceBrutality

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 5/6

▶️ Part 4

Was the police like this before?

"The police used to be..hmm...Since the establishment of the ICAC, the image of the police had really changed. I really don’t know what happened lately. I can’t say that there aren’t any good people at all. 5-6 years ago, I once left a bag on a taxi. There were thousands of dollars in the bag. I went home, and my domestic helper told me that the police made a call and said the driver brought my wallet to the police. I thanked the driver and I went to the Central Police Station. The police took my things out and counted them for me. They were very professional and humane. I was very impressed. For example, they said, ‘don’t count the banknotes in the public as others will see them.’ Then, they gave me a room to spread the bills open and count one by one, so I could check if everything was there. The things were done in a very orderly way, they were doing their job to helped me ... there will always be good ones left, but now there is a grouping effect, and good things will disappear. When everyone is together, they influence each other. If you don't follow the others, you look bad in the group. It seems that in Chris Tang Ping-keung’s dinner earlier, if you didn’t sing and laugh along, you were the odd one. In fact, not everyone necessarily wants to participate. This is the case. Due to such effect It's hard to say if there is any good person. This may be the biggest tragedy of Hong Kong. It is because police officers are public servants whom everyone has the most contact with. When there is an incident, such as domestic violence, you call the police. Police is important for the society to run. Now the police is behaving in such way, this really brings a lot of damages (to the society). "

//we must adhere to our original values, to fight continuously, in various forms, on various fronts.

//only a small group of Hong Kong people are infected. It is out of everyone’s expectation. The self-protection awareness of Hong Kong people is hardly seen in the rest of the world. Everyone is wearing a mask now.

//Hong Kong has its own quality.

//Hong Kong is the most civilised place in the world. The quality of Hong Kong people is also the best in the world, be it about the communication with foreigners, the integration with the world, and people’s kindness to others.

//our international contacts and mobility are beyond everyone ’s imagination.

//It’s not that Chinese don’t speak good English, but they don’t speak like us.

//How can you be ‘Chinese’? How can we be ‘Chinese’? We just need to be ourselves, we just need to be a human being and then that will be good enough"

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/Was-the-police-like-this-before-04-22

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#AnsonChan #DeniseHo #JoshuaWong #BrianLeung #Taiwan #1997Handover #CivilServants #Masks #LowestBidWin #FreeWill #HKPF #FailedState #SelfHelp

#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 6/6

▶️ Part 5

Time flies, Make the most of it

Lee Yee is now 83 years old, do you feel that there is not enough time?

"Not enough time? Yes, but now I think I'll just take it naturally. I used to think I'll write a memoir, but now I feel like, if I can do it, sure, but if I can’t, it's also fine. Too many things in life we can't control or calculate. I just do as much as I can. I'm not thinking about creating any impact to the world and the society. There probably aren't any impact anyway. Unlike you guys because you are still young.... Now I just try my best to do what I can and want to, to live through the last years of my life. Life is the sum of one's actions. My only wish is to die a good death, not to have intubation all over my body."

"Many things can't be predicted, you just can't. I believe in existentialism - One's existence is always responsible to oneself. Right now, I'll have to make the most of "now". The next moment, I'll make the most of it too when it comes. What will happen? I am not a fortune teller. I don't know. Personally I feel that Hong Kong people's awakening cannot be undone; Hong Kong people have identified themselves as Hongkongers and will not go back to become a Chinese. They won't get attached to China again. The younger generation influenced the older generation. I've known this for a long time. Young people are willing to sacrifice themselves for Hong Kong, now what can't we? How many more years do I have? How many more do they have? Aren’t they more important? They have to think for themselves. If they can do it, so can we. Hong Kong needs to be separated from China. I'm not saying independence, it's a bit strong. But this awareness, I don’t think it ’s possible to turn back, in fact it'll only get stronger."

"The localism is driven by the younger generation, how strange. You know what, there's no such thing before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997. The younger they are, the more they have this idea naturally. It is not taught to them, we didn't. You know what, now the kids in secondary schools are the most determined. You don’t have to ask them, they don’t argue about it, that ’s how I do. Re-unification or independence? They don’t even talk about it. They'll simply say "I ’m not Chinese, I ’m a Hongkonger. I've always been one and I'll always be one."

End

Whole article translation:
https://telegra.ph/83-year-old-Li-Yi-I-dont-have-long-to-live-but-I-believe-Hong-Kong-young-people-have-wisdom-beyond-imagination-05-13

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#Localism #HongKongIsNotChina #Hongkongers #HongKongProtest