City on Fire

A long-term resident and expert observer of dissent in Hong Kong takes readers to the front lines of Hong Kong’s revolution.

Through the long, hot summer of 2019, Hong Kong burned. Anti-government protests, sparked by a government proposal to introduce a controversial extradition law, grew into a pro-democracy movement that engulfed the city for months. Protesters fought street battles with police, and the unrest brought the People’s Liberation Army to the very doorstep of Hong Kong. Driven primarily by students and youth protesters with their ‘Be Water!’ philosophy, borrowed from hometown hero Bruce Lee, this leaderless, technology-driven protest movement defied a global superpower and changed Hong Kong, perhaps forever. But it also changed China, and challenged China’s global standing.

Antony Dapiran provides the first detailed account of the protests, reveals the activists’ unique tactics, and explains how the movement fits into the city’s long history of dissent. City on Fire explores what the protests will mean for the future of Hong Kong, China, and China’s place in the world.

Un rezident pe termen lung si un observator expert al disidentei din Hong Kong ii duce pe cititori pe primele linii ale revolutiei din Hong Kong. Prin lunga si fierbinte vara din 2019, Hong Kong a ars. Protestele anti-guvernamentale, declansate de o propunere guvernamentala de a introduce o controversata lege de extradare, au devenit o miscare pro-democratie care a inghitit orasul de luni de zile.