China Change, June 29, 2023 I interviewed Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei in May in Portugal. It was my first meeting with him, and as many Chinese activists do, I called him by his nickname “Aunt Ai” (“艾婶儿”). Out of the hundreds of interviews with Ai Weiwei, I hope readers find this one worthwhile. The interview will be posted [...] Keep reading »

Lin studied Taiwan-PRC relations, focusing on the CCP's United Front Work in Taiwan. He worked as an aide to Democratic Progressive Party council members in Taipei and New Taipei City prior to running office. He served in the Special Forces of Taiwan's army before as part of the country’s compulsory active duty military service for men. We spoke [...] Keep reading »

"The Taiwan Interview Series" is a result of a China Change team going around Taiwan for 30 days in Nov. and Dec, 2022. The time frame for the trip was deliberately chosen to observe the local elections against the backdrop of China’s military threat, and to take measure of Taiwanese attitudes towards totalitarian China as they enjoy their robust [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, August 26, 2022 (Continued from Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five and Part Six) On June 1, 2, and 3, 2021, Stand News published a three-part feature of the ‘Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China’ (which China [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, August 18, 2022 (Continued from Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five) Continuing crackdown pre- and post-’97 In the years after 1989, the situation for the Hong Kong Alliance was relatively uneventful. But with the approach of 1997, the storm picked [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, August 15, 2022 (Continued from Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four) At the 1996 Vigil at Victoria Park, a gigantic banner fluttered in the wind on the backdrop of the stage: “Crossing Past 1997.” Before it on the stage stood a row of people holding up candlelight. Among [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, August 8, 2022 (Continued from Part One, Part Two, and Part Three) Keeping the memory alive: the June 4 Memorial Museum Who will maintain the historical record and collective memory if, one day, the people of Hong Kong forget the events of June 4?  Before 1997, a Netherlands-based [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, August 6, 2022 (Continued from Part One, Part Two) Candle lights have carried on the memory For the first time, candle lights lit up the faces of 150,000 Hong Kongers.  “Looking down the field from the stage, it was a sea of candle lights, like all the stars had fallen on the gr [...] Keep reading »

By Olivia Cheng, Siaw Hew Wah, translated by China Change, July 31, 2022 (Continued from Part One) Supporting the Chinese democracy movement, from Hong Kong to overseas Among all political organizations in Hong Kong, the Alliance is the only one that continuously worked to support the Chinese democracy movement. In 1989, after the Tiananmen Sq [...] Keep reading »