By pushing propaganda on kids—forcing them to learn about the Party’s history and requiring them to sing the national anthem—the government only fueled a burgeoning sense of Hong Kong identity in the city’s young people. The authorities were, Charles said, “trying to brainwash the next generation but ended up promoting a sense of Hong Kong independence.” Not necessarily a desire for political independence, but more that desire Wilson talked about: to be left alone. Like so many young people, those in Hong Kong were figuring out who they were by figuring out first who they did not want to be.
