Flow HK Association
社團法人如水協會

Water becomes many shapes, it flows. But it continues to be water.

If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. To shatter the Chinese dream, we must flow like water, and be strong like water.

We are a group of Hongkongers who are in the diaspora, as well as a group of people who truly love Hong Kong. We have decided to use the free space outside of Hong Kong to create a medium for public discussion for Hongkongers.

Having experienced the 2019 Anti-ELAB Movement, after the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, Apple Daily, Stand News, Citizen News, and other pro-democracy Hong Kong media were forced to stop operating as a result of government oppression. Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was jailed, with the charge that he was working with external forces. Stand News, too, was accused of incitement.

With these Hong Kong media outlets disappearing in the blink of an eye, there were still many years of articles. But with their official websites shut down, these went offline, leading history to be unable to be preserved. At the same time, using the law and the education system, the Hong Kong government seeks to erase the truth of history.

Many Hongkongers have chosen to leave their beloved home. Some faced political oppression, some left to seek freedom, some left so that their children do not have to experience the brainwashing of patriotic education. For the Hongkongers that have spread across the world, there is the will to continue fighting for Hong Kong democracy, but because of various limits, it is hard to discuss or come to a consensus, for there to be a set direction for the Hong Kong overseas democracy movement to go in. Those that persist in remaining face the crackdown on freedoms of speech after the National Security Law, and it becomes a challenge to express one's political opinions and views. Hongkongers already lack public forum for discussing shared issues.

Facing this lack of spaces for open discussion and reflection and historical documentation, Flow seeks to publish. This is in the hopes to preserve freedom, to offer a forum for discussion without political censorship. Through regular publishing, we hope to cultivate discussion of politics, economics, culture, and other topics, to give rise to sophisticated thought on Hong Kong's shared issues, and document the experiences and research of Hongkonger groups internationally. We have published eleven issues from 2021 until today.

We persist in print publishing, because this medium is not as easily erased. We will send our magazines to Hongkongers across the world, as well as fellow travelers concerned and supportive of Hong Kong issues, as a means of passing on a shared spirit. At the same time, through the freely accessible articles on our website, we hope through different forms of media to continue discourse and discussion on Hong Kong issues.

We use our magazine as a tool for facilitating discussion, organizing talks and reading groups as well as social activities, including on campuses. This is so that Hongkongers can have a shared space to discuss, to come to a consensus about the future of the movement, to raise the visibility of Hong Kong issues, and allow young people to consider Hong Kong issues.

"We look forward to Hong Kong democracy blossoming, those travelers returning home, the release of prisoners, and Hongkongers quickly being able to collectively enjoy the beauty of Hong Kong." - Flow Manifesto