Panic is rife in Hong Kong. China propaganda is everywhere, even in kindergarten. Many residents are left with only one option: emigration.

wooIf you ask English teacher Sarah why she? Hong Kong Wanting to leave, she talks about one of her lessons. She describes an incident that speaks volumes about how the venom of the dictatorship is slowly but steadily seeping into Hong Kong society. As per the curriculum, Sarah has to teach her students the ability to think critically. One of his 16-year-old students criticized China’s zero-Covid policy. Another stood up and shouted at him, “You must not criticize the Chinese government.”

In the past, Sarah would have explained to the screamer that everyone has a right to have their own opinion. Instead, she said, “Of course we all support the Chinese government.” Otherwise, her student would have blackmailed her to the school board. “I was so embarrassed,” Sarah says later in a conversation at one of the big shopping centers where Hong Kongers run away from the heat. It’s hard to teach students something you don’t believe in yourself.