Latest posts by Oiwan Lam from April, 2023
Pro-Beijing politicians urge Hong Kong to scrap the Gay Games 2023
Anticipating political pressures from the conservatives, Gay Games Hong Kong has adopted a depoliticised strategy by stressing the economic benefit of hosting the international event in Hong Kong.
The reasons behind the myth of Cantonese as a more authentic Chinese language
Claims that local languages, including Sichuanese and Cantonese, only lost one vote to Mandarin to become China’s “national language” have kept popping up on the internet from time to time.
State violence and the standardization of the Chinese language
After implementing compulsory education in 1986, Putonghua was promulgated as the primary language in schools, and recently it has replaced indigenous languages in autonomous regions, including Xinjiang, inner Mongolia and Tibet.
China rolls out ‘Down to the Countryside Movement 2.0′ to address youth unemployment problem
Some observers believe that the campaign is meant to prevent unemployed youths from causing trouble in big cities. Youth were key actors in the anti-zero COVID protests this year.
How will Hong Kong react to the Gay Games: Support or suppression?
Local organizers downplayed censorship as a non-issue and stressed that “she hoped all participants from around the globe could abide by local laws and respect the local culture.”
