In this episode, New York Times reporter Javier C. Hernández and fiction writer and essayist Xu Xi talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about Hong Kong, current and past protests, and the powers that have sought to gain control of the city. Hernández talks about the practical realities of covering potentially violent situations and the unique collectivism of current activism. Xu Xi discusses the challenges the movement faces as well as the historical dissonance that makes finding progress difficult.

Guests:Javier C. HernándezXu Xi

Readings for the Episode:Javier C. Hernández The Peacemaker at the Centre of Hong Kong's Turbulent Protests, July 4, 2019When Trump Tweets, the Editor of, "China's Fox News," Hits Back, July 31, 2019 China Calls Hong Kong Protestors who Stormed Legislature ‘Extreme Radicals’, July 2, 2019, with Alexandra Stevenson Protests Put Hong Kong on Collision Course With China’s Communist Party, August 12, 2019, with Amy QinWith Hymns and Prayers, Christians Help Drive Hong Kong’s Protests, June 19, 2019Xu Xi This Fish is Fowl: Essays of Being The Unwalled City Insignificance: Hong Kong Stories Dear Hong Kong: An Elegy for a City Founder of CityU creative writing programme questions decision to cancel it, South China Morning Post, May 4, 2015

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26: In Hong Kong, A Movement Grows: Javier C. Hernández and Xu Xi on the City's Battle With Beijing