當年今日
關於我們

Letter to Jimmy|Thanks to your sacrifices, the identity of ‘Hongkonger’ is brighter than ever

蘋果日報 2020/12/06 14:00


Letter from old family friend

Uncle Jimmy,
Saw the news last night that you were denied bail. Before I could send my regards, the bad news came. My mood was beyond words could describe.
After a night of letting it settle, 40 years of memories slowly surfaced.
On June 16, 2019, I was at your house for dinner. You were late. It was rare.
But when you came back, you brought with you an enormous smile.
“Sorry! Have just been to the demonstration! There were so many more people today than expected!” Your loud voice could not conceal the excitement.
As we finished dinner, you kept refreshing to get the latest numbers.
“Two million people! Hongkongers made history!”
We agreed to meet again the next time I am in Hong Kong.
I basically grew up in your house. Every weekend, you and the other dads would gather. You would drink and chat away. As you all swore freely, the world was the children’s playground.
My impression was that you all carried a happy smile, always. You were a group of very special adults!
You gave me my first adult magazine. The following day, your son tipped off my mother.
Whenever we made mistakes, I often got protected by my mother, and your son was always the one to get punished.
My mother and you have never got along.
When I was older, once you told me,
“How incredible it was that your father decided to marry your mother! But no matter how they are like, your mother is a great mother who loves you both very much. She is an incredible woman. Without her, you could all have been f*cked! Be sure to treat your mother well when you grow up!”
From then on, I learned what it meant to remove personal feelings from things and events.
I still remember that on a Sunday in 1989, as usual, a few families got together. However, we were not chitchatting anymore. We divvied up the work to make banners and headbands. Even as children, we were influenced. In the afternoon, we set off to join the demonstration and chant slogans!
20 something years later, those original weekly gathering of friends were no more. My dad told me that everyone was busy, and could only meet up to a few times a year.
When my father had a stroke in mainland China, you did everything you could to help move him back to Hong Kong.
Once stabilized, he was admitted to the best home for the elderly, thanks to you. You always visited him whenever you had time.
Once we bumped into each other in the hospital.
I said I did not know how to repay you.
You patted me on the shoulder, and said softly: You father already paid it off when he was young!
What you said, and your kindness, are something I will never forget.
Hongkongers have always been just ordinary tourists in the eyes of the Japanese. But in this past year, this identity of Hongkongers has also changed. What has been happening in Hong Kong attracted a lot of attention in the Japanese society. Since the National Security Law, I was almost seeing news and commentaries about Hong Kong every single day when I opened a newspaper. Yet I’m sorry to say that the person who has been most talked about is not you, but Agnes Chow!
Under the giant wheel of the era, Hong Kong should have been buried slowly. However, because of the suppression by the CCP and Hongkongers’ resistance, the identity of Hongkonger has actually been increasingly gaining respect.
Hong Kong’s own values may disappear, but your sacrifices are making the identity of Hongkonger brighter than ever.
The greater the suppression, the more respect the term “Hongkonger” gets. No matter what sort of diplomacy, such identity recognition cannot be altered. Justice is in the hearts of the people.
Please fight on! We await your return for another get together! Thank you!
Man Man
December 4, 2020
Japan
Click here for Chinese version
---------------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE
To download the latest version,
Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play