I don’t feel safer in London than in China. I don’t think I would join any protests. I would worry that there are spies watching and I would be targeted when I go back home.
I think the Chinese government is too scared of criticism. They’re putting so much pressure on our whole generation. I feel very confused. I don’t understand how even issues like feminism have become politically sensitive in recent years.
The political situation has made me want to stay in the UK. But there are many problems here too. Earlier this year, I experienced my first verbal racist attack while walking home from the grocery shop with my mask on.
I also don’t really like to discuss my views on China with Westerners. I think many of them are brainwashed by Western media and only focus on the negative aspects of our government.
The coronavirus has changed my whole world. Now, I carry this anger inside me all the time. I’ve never had so many fights in my life. But I plan to keep speaking out, while also trying to take better care of my mental health. I think it’s too important. We can’t just stay silent
* Not her real name.
[As told to Jessie Lau]
Over the past few years, the Chinese government turned its attention to suppressing social media comments posted by Chinese citizens outside of China. Twitter and FaceBook are already banned inside the country. As a result, many Chinese citizens abroad are reluctant to criticize the government as they fear that they or their families will face repercussions back home. In November, a Chinese student from Chengdu studying at Edinburgh University came under a cyber attack after supporting the Hong Kong protests. A photograph of him went viral on the Chinese social media site, Weibo, along with the comment: “Brothers from Chengdu, beat him to death.” Recently, China’s ambassador to the UK told Chinese students to “serve your motherland” while at universities in the UK. His comments sparked alarm over China’s influence on British campuses, which currently accommodate approximately 120,000 Chinese students.
Print
Radio Free | Radio Free (2020-07-09T06:45:44+00:00) The Chinese government must let us cry for our dead. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/07/09/the-chinese-government-must-let-us-cry-for-our-dead/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.