Art Under China's Red Line: Exhibition/Panel on Press Freedom in Hong Kong

Join Georgetown University’s Asian Studies Program and the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation for a panel on press freedom in Hong Kong and an exhibition of works by Zunzi and the last edition of Apple Daily. Refreshments and desserts will be available during the exhibition, but ID is required for alcoholic beverages.

About the panel:

Featuring opening remarks from Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator and We The Hongkongers’ Executive Director Frances Hui, and the Georgetown Asian Studies Program Director, Dr. Yuhki Tajima, experts on Hong Kong, China, and press freedom will gather for a discussion on press freedom in Hong Kong.

• Johanna Kao, Senior Director for Asia-Pacific for International Republican Institute
• Simon Lee, Former columnist for Apple Daily newspaper and Advisor for the Hongkonger Community Center
• Yaqiu Wang, Research Director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at the Freedom House

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Emily Matson, Assistant Teaching Professor of modern Chinese history at Georgetown University.

About the exhibition:

The exhibition will showcase a series of work selected from the four-decade career of satirical cartoonist Zunzi (pen name of Wong Kei-kwan), and the last issue of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

Zunzi began creating political cartoons in 1983 and had published in major Hong Kong newspapers, including Ming Pao and the now-defunct Apple Daily. Using lighthearted cartoons as an expressive medium, Zunzi comments on serious social issues, and criticizes government policies and political figures. After the passage of the National Security Law in June 2020, Zunzi’s work repeatedly came under attack by government officials. For example, the head of Hong Kong police suggested that Zunzi was guilty of sedition over a cartoon strip that called attention to the government’s large spending on surveillance equipment. Another government official likewise called Zunzi’s cartoon “unethical” for describing the revamped chief executive election as one that selected candidates based on political alignment rather than on merits. Apparently responding to these attacks, Ming Pao terminated Zunzi’s cartoon series in May 2023.

Through Zunzi’s work, this exhibition outlines important social trends in Hong Kong across four decades. It further uses the abrupt termination of Zunzi’s series to illustrate the rapid decline in freedoms under the newly established national security apparatus that perpetuates itself through continuous political persecution in Hong Kong and abroad.

Apple Daily was founded in 1995, transcending its role as a newspaper to become the voice and spirit of Hong Kong, and has been on the forefront of investigative journalism. In the face of government suppression, including two major police raids in 2020 and 2021 and the arrest of its founder Jimmy Lai and six other senior executives, Apple Daily remained undaunted, continuing to publish against all odds. Their commitment to truth and justice resonated deeply, as exemplified by the final edition on June 24, 2021, following an emergency shutdown. Thousands of Hong Kongers rallied outside Apple Daily’s Headquarters on the last production night to show solidarity and lined up on the street to buy one of a million copies which were swiftly sold out by the next morning. Apple Daily's legacy, marked by resilience and dedication to free press, remains an enduring symbol of the unbreakable spirit of Hong Kong's people.

This event is cosponsored by the Georgetown University’s Asian Studies Program, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, We The Hongkongers, and the Hongkonger Community Center.

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Please kindly RSVP so we can ensure an accurate headcount for catering. To request accommodations due to a disability, contact Annalise Burke at annalise.burke@georgetown.edu no later than 11/21/2023. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill all requests made after this date. Please contact Annalise with any other inquiries regarding this event.

Disclaimer: This event is part of Zunzi's Archival World Exhibition Tour taking place in more than 10 cities around the world since August 2023. The exhibition is initiated and organized by overseas Hong Kongers and has received no support or any form of input from Zunzi. Opinions expressed by panelists and in the exhibition do not represent the views of the sponsors. For information about other stops of the tour, please contact We The Hongkongers or the Hongkonger Community Center.