Irene

Irene is actually not her name. She does not want to go by her real name because she is afraid of the consequences of the National Security Law (NSL)The National Security Law went into effect in Hong Kong on June 30, 2020. It is intended to “prevent, stop and punish” everything that the Chinese government believes could threaten national security. Due to the vaguely worded text of the law, it has caused great uncertainty among the population since its implementation.. As a journalist she is used to publishing under her real name, but in her diary she wants to share her innermost thoughts and personal views – nobody knows how much leeway the law leaves when it comes to politics.

Today’s first day is part of a longer conversation that started a few days earlier. Before Irene shares anything personal with us, she wants one thing above all else – to make sure that nobody recognises her. Already three days before we started our project, she had decided on the name Irene.

Actually we want to get to know Irene better today. Who is she? How does she live? So far we have only seen her on her profile picture on Twitter. We only had regular phone calls in advance, no video chats.

In the beginning, Irene is concerned about how she wants to appear in front of the camera. When she records her first video for us, she feels uncomfortable. Irene thinks everybody can tell it’s her, even if she covers her face. That’s why she goes out and buys a darker pair of sunglasses.

It takes another week before Irene decides to show her face and tell us more about herself in a video. It is a time when she opens up from day to day, because at the beginning she is still a bit cautious. We find it difficult to discover what she really thinks.

Then she sends us this video in which she tells us why she wanted to join “Hong Kong Diaries” in the first place.

In the meantime, Irene tells us how she lives.

How do you live?

I live alone in an apartment on the west side of Hong Kong Island. It has 2 bedrooms, and the spare room is my study and closet. I lived at home for many years in Hong Kong as an adult before moving out, and it was always a dream to have my own space.

This is my study, where I spend most of my time. I am a freelancer so I work from home mostly.

Because my apartment is so small I had to buy this piece of furniture which is a coffee table that can be extended into a large dining table accommodating four.

At what age did you move out?

I moved out at age 26, with the blessing of my mother, although this move was somewhat frowned upon by some of my relatives

Hong Kong, of course, has one of the most expensive housing markets in the world. For many people, owning property is a distant dream, sometimes one that’s simply not achievable

In traditional Chinese culture, young people are expected to live at home with their parents until marriage and then financially support their parents in adulthood this makes it really difficult for young people – especially those working at low-paying jobs – to ever have their own space

We would love to see more.

I am lucky to have my own space, even though it’s under 300 square feet – and with a kitchen so small that I sometimes need to move the trash can out of my kitchen for more space.

* This material was originally sent on the 25th of September.
** This material was originally sent on the 29th of September.

It’s just one day before the 1st of OctoberThe People’s Republic of China was founded on the first of October, 1949. Since then this date is considered a national holiday.. Normally a lot of protests take place on that day in Hong Kong. Irene already mentioned that the society in Hong Kong has become extremely divisive since the protests started and after the National Security Law (NSL)The National Security Law went into effect in Hong Kong on the 30th of June 2020. It is intended to “prevent, stop and punish” everything that the Chinese government believes could threaten national security. Due to the vaguely worded text of the law, it has caused great uncertainty among the population since its implementation. was adopted. 

The protesters even began to declare many food and drink establishments “yellow ribbon” or “blue ribbon”In Hong Kong, the color yellow stands for the democratic camp and blue for the pro-government camp. Many Hong Kong residents communicate their political affiliation by wearing bracelets in the respective color..

As Irene tells in her voice message, Starbucks was vandalized. Protesters used hammers and a fire extinguisher to smash glass shelves, while others threw plates and trays on the ground, the New York Times reported. The dispute between protest supporters and opponents extends to her own family.

We ask Irene a bit more about Carrie LamCarrie Lam has been the head of government in Hong Kong since July 1, 2017. She is the first woman to hold this post after the former British crown colony of Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997..

Irene is visiting her mum today for dinner. On this occasion, we wanted to know what her mum is thinking about the political situation in Hong Kong. She sends us some videos while they are preparing dinner together.

In the evening, Irene sends the recording of a conversation between her and her mother.

* This material was originally sent on the 5th of October. On that day, Irene gave us a more detailed answer on that question than in our chat.

** This material was originally sent on the 5th of October as a video. On that day, Irene gave us a more detailed answer on that question than in our chat.

*** This voice note was recorded for us by Irene. We have had the Cantonese translation checked by a professional translator. We also distorted the voices so that Irene’s mother is not recognizable.

The 1st of October is Chinese National Day. Last year, a lot of demonstrations took place in Hong Kong on that date. This year, protests were expected all over the city again, but they were largely cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions (at least that is the official reason). Protesters, however, still decide to gather on this symbolic day. For fear of getting into trouble, it isn’t really communicated where they are going to take place. Irene has plans to go downtown today, but she wants to try to stay away from the demonstrations as she goes about her day.

Shortly after that, Irene texts us some impressions and observations of what is happening downtown.

Irene later tells us how, even though she supports the cause, she finds the ongoing protests in her hometown very tiring.

The protest movement reached its pinnacle in 2019. The Hong Kong government remained relentless, and the protests became more violent over time. We ask Irene how she feels about the protests now.

* This material was originally sent to us on the 3rd of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.

Only in 1991 homosexuality was decriminalised in Hong Kong. In recent years, however, a larger LGBTQ scene has developed in Hong Kong, just like in many metropolises on the Chinese mainland. Nevertheless, queer people are still stigmatised by parts of the conservative society.

In China, homosexuality was even classified as a mental illness until 2001. However, gays and lesbians are still met with hostility and discrimination in China. Many therefore hide their sexual orientation.

Later, Irene sends us videos from her golf trip one day before.

Irene was accompanied by the above mentioned friend. They used to work for the same company and have known each other for many years. She mentions that, unlike her, he is an active protester who even got arrested in 2019 – twice.

* This material was originally sent on the 5th of October.
** This material was originally sent to us as a voice memo on the 2nd of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.
*** This material was originally sent on the 2nd of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.

Irene is going to a restaurant tonight. From time to time she also writes restaurant reviews besides her opinion pieces. Her best friend will join her. Both feel strongly connected to the Westernized world, its values and rights. But there are differences between them.

Irene’s friend had already been very actively protesting. Irene decided to not to be a frontliner. Besides her fear, there is also another reason for her reluctant attitude. It is a privilege that her best friend does not share.

In a phone call one day earlier, Irene told us more about it after we asked several times about her passive behavior.

Irene admitted, that she doesn’t feel comfortable talking openly about her privilege to leave the country whenever she wants to. She was afraid to put herself out there to be judged.

The best friend of Irene belongs to these people who don’t have foreign citizenships. His opportunities to leave the country if the political situation worsens are limited.

In the aforementioned phone call, Irene hinted that she might marry her best friend if the political situation would worsen.

At the end of the day, Irene sends us videos of her way home.

* This voice memo originally stems from a phone call recording on the 4th of October. On the 5th of October, Irene allowed us to publish parts of it.

** This voice memo originally stems from a phone call recording on the 4th of October. On the 5th of October, Irene allowed us to publish parts of it.

Today marks 100 days since the National Security Law (NSL)The National Security Law went into effect in Hong Kong on the 30th of June 2020. It is intended to “prevent, stop and punish” everything that the Chinese government believes could threaten national security. Due to the vaguely worded text of the law, it has caused great uncertainty among the population since its implementation. was imposed on Hong Kong. It has already affected parts of the media world and the press freedom in Hong Kong.

The effects are already felt by journalists and international media: in August, the Apple Daily’s editorial office was searched, and its editor-in-chief Jimmy Lai was temporarily arrested. Apple Daily is one of the independent newspapers in Hong Kong that are not afraid to openly criticize Beijing.

We ask Irene whether she has already been instructed to censor her texts or even censors herself.

Later, Irene goes to the market with a friend to buy vegetables. Tonight she will have dinner with her mother, best friend, and brother. They are going to prepare dumplings, a traditional Cantonese dish in which pieces of dough are wrapped around a filling. Although Irene attended a British boarding school for almost ten years, Great Britain never became her home.

But even in Hong Kong – her home – Irene lives between two worlds: the Western and the traditional Chinese.

When I went overseas, I realized, wow, you can actually be celebrated for your own opinions.

In the evening Irene, arrives at her mother’s house. She wants to lay tarot cards to predict Hong Kong’s future. Irene tells us that she has taught herself to do this after spending a lot of time at home during the summer because of Covid-19. Before each tarot spread Irene asks one open question.

Even though the cards promise Hong Kong a better future, we want to know what would have to happen for Irene to pack her bags and leave the city with her family.

* This material was originally sent on the 1st of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.

** This voice memo originally stems from a phone call recording on the 7th of October. Irene allowed us to publish parts of it.

It is Saturday, and our project is slowly coming to an end. We don’t chat that much with Irene this weekend. She has already given us so many interesting insights into life in Hong Kong in the past few days. But we do have a few questions left.

A few days earlier, Irene had already described her feeling of fear and uncertainty in the current situation. She sent us a voice message in which she tells us how she remembers some of the turning points in China and Hong Kong during the 1990s.

The day before, Irene met a few former colleagues for dinner. She tells us that one of them was a girl who went to school in Hong Kong all her life. Irene and her friends had a vivid discussion about going to local schools versus being educated at international schools or even abroad (like Irene). Irene makes some interesting observations about how the education system affects young people in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, Irene argues that there is more than one reason why people take to the streets. In her opinion, not only anger about losing basic human rights but also being frustrated about the economic inequality in Hong Kong plays a role.

Given that Irene spent many years of her youth and childhood years abroad, we wondered how she feels about raising children in Hong Kong. She sends us this voice note.

* This material was originally sent to us on the 4th of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.
** This material was originally sent to us on the 8th of October. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.
*** This material was originally sent to us as a video. It has been transcribed and edited for clarity where necessary.