City on fire

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