Writer/Lawyer/Photographer. Author of Walkley-nominated book “City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong” (@scribepub).
Articles by Antony Dapiran
Silenced by China, Hong Kong struggles to voice its grief over the Tai Po fire disaster
By Antony Dapiran / The Guardian White flowers at makeshift shrines and messages of support posted in a public square. A rainbow of folded paper cranes. Boxes of donated goods for those in need. Hong Kongers’ responses to the Tai Po fire disaster — in which at least 160 people have died and 31 are still unaccounted for — have, on the surface, resembled similar community expressions of solidarity last seen during the 2019 protests.
Silenced by China, Hong Kong struggles to voice its grief over the Tai Po fire disaster
People watch the flames and thick smoke rising from multiple residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex during a deadly fire, Hong Kong, 26 November, 2025. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters White flowers at makeshift shrines and messages of support posted in a public square. A rainbow of folded paper cranes. Boxes of donated goods for the those in need.
China Books Review
In June 2022, the story broke that Hong Kong secondary school textbooks — for a revamped liberal studies subject named “Citizenship and Social Development” — were stating that Hong Kong was never a British colony. This change reflected the long-held position of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that Britain, in the language of one People’s Daily editorial from March 1997, merely “exercised colonial rule” in Hong Kong, but “this does not mean that Hong Kong is a colony” in any legitimate sense.
A 20th Procrastination: On Censorship
Dear friends I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong and this is A Procrastination, an irregular dispatch from Hong Kong. (Hey, it’s not called A Procrastination for nothing!) You are receiving this email because you either signed up or have in the past expressed interest in my writing. You can always unsubscribe with one click via the footer at the end of this email. If you want to get in touch, you can reply directly to this email.
A 19th Procrastination: Strike Hard
I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong and this is A Procrastination, an irregular dispatch from Hong Kong. You are receiving this email because you either signed up or have in the past expressed interest in my writing. You can always unsubscribe with one click via the footer at the end of this email. If you want to get in touch, you can reply directly to this email.
Hong Kong’s Protest of Enchantment – China Channel
How the soft power of the democracy movement is still alive – Antony Dapiran Based on extracts from City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong Hong Kong can feel at times like a disenchanted city. The protests of 2019 drew upon a deep-seated malaise, bringing onto the streets people who felt they were stuck with a leader they hadn’t chosen, running a government that didn’t listen to them, in a city whose housing they could not afford, and with wages and an economy that were going nowhere.
An 18th Procrastination: Season finale
Dear friends I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an email dispatch from Hong Kong. You are receiving this email because you either signed up or have in the past expressed interest in my writing. You can always unsubscribe via the link at the footer of this email. In this edition: Hong Kong at year’s-end; recent writings and speaking appearances; book self-promotion; nourishment and consolation; and greetings of the season.
Hong Kong: Shock Therapy – China Channel
Antony Dapiran reviews Aftershock: Essays from Hong Kong, edited by Holmes Chan “Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.” – Frank Kafka, The Trial Hong Kongers may feel they have good cause to invoke the name of Franz Kafka. They are becoming accustomed to the arbitrary exercise of state power in illogical and often absurd ways that would make even Kafka blush.
What now for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement?
Last week, the entire pro-democracy caucus resigned from the Hong Kong Legislative Council when it was announced that supporting independence had became a sackable offence. With pro-democracy protesters already off the streets under threat of long prison terms if they continue, is the battle for one country two systems over?
Hong Kong’s Alarming New Reality: Peaceful Protest as Terrorism
Hong Kong has a new ‘Party Secretary’, a new all-powerful government agency, and a new basis to charge the opposition as terrorists. The National Security Law effectively replicates in Hong Kong the same Party and government structure that exists in the rest of China, writes Hong Kong-based lawyer and writer Antony Dapiran – and the implications are profound. Hong Kong’s transition from 30 June to 1 July in 1997 was a largely seamless one.
Hong Kong’s ever-adaptable dissenters | Antony Dapiran
1000 words Hong Kong’s ever-adaptable dissenters 14 August 2020 The city’s protesters are using unconventional methods to navigate a legal minefield Right: Pro-democracy activists distributing free copies of Apple Daily, paid for by pro-democracy district councillors, after authorities arrested founder Jimmy Lai under Hong Kong’s new national security law.
A Review of "City on Fire" by Antony Dapiran and "Unfree Speech" by Joshua Wong with Jason Ng
In This Review In This Review City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now Sign in and save to read later Print this article Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Get a link Page url Request Reprint Permissions Last summer, hundreds of thousands of protesters had been pouring onto the streets of Hong Kong for about a month when I got a call from a senior official in Beijing inviting me to lunch. We were quite friendly.
Hong Kong, PRC: The world needs to come to terms with Hong Kong’s new reality
Hong Kong has a new ‘Party Secretary’, a new all-powerful government agency, and a new basis to charge the opposition as terrorists. The National Security Law effectively replicates in Hong Kong the same Party and government structure that exists in the rest of China, writes Hong Kong-based lawyer and writer Antony Dapiran – and the implications are profound. Hong Kong’s transition from 30 June to 1 July in 1997 was a largely seamless one.
Hong Kong’s second handover | Antony Dapiran
When Beijing imposed its sweeping new national security law on Hong Kong last week — twenty-three years after the British handed control of the territory to China — it felt like a repeat of that dramatic shift in power.
A 16th Procrastination: The new HK
Dear friends Welcome to A Procrastination, an email despatch from Hong Kong. I am your host, Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong. You are are receiving this because you signed up or have previously expressed interest in my writing. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the footer of this email. HOT DEAL: At the time of hitting “Send”, my book City on Fire is ON SALE for only US$2.99 in the Amazon US Kindle store.
A 15th Procrastination: An Intervention
Dear friends I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an email dispatch from Hong Kong. You are receiving this email because you have signed up or have in the past expressed interest in my writing. You can unsubscribe with one click and no recriminations via the link at the end of this email.
Vigil | Antony Dapiran
Author: Antony Dapiran | Publish Date: 08.06.20 | Last Update Date: | 2020-06-09 04:34:00 【Note: We welcome Hong Kong-based lawyer Antony Dapiran on board in Tri-angles, CitizenNews' English opinion section, where he will regularly share insights on Hong Kong.】 Dear friends, This week: more on Hong Kong's national security law; some important developments in Hong Kong politics; reflections on the June 4th anniversary, including related nourishment & consolation; and the usual mandatory dose...
A 14th Procrastination: Vigil
Dear friends I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an email dispatch from Hong Kong. (Hong Kong writer Ysabelle Cheung opens her eclectic newsletter Fragments with: “If you are receiving this email, it is because you have either signed up or you have in the past expressed interest in my writing.” I like that, and intend to steal it, not least because it justifies my unilaterally adding people to my mailing list.
Beijing tightens its grip on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement
The Communist Party of China has always been very conscious of the connection between history and power. To that end, the suppression of pro-democracy protesters by the People’s Liberation Armys in Beijing on June 4, 1989 — the events history has come to refer to as the Tiananmen Massacre — have been very carefully edited out of China’s official narrative.
A 13th Procrastination: The Nuclear Option
Dear friends First to get the formalities out of the way: I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an email update from Hong Kong. You can always write to me by replying to this email, and if you want to unsubscribe you can do so with one click at the footer of this email. Well, it had to be unlucky 13 didn’t it? In this edition: Hong Kong is getting a national security law; and some much-needed consolation.
A 12th Procrastination: Black Friday
Dear friends In case you need a reminder: I am Antony Dapiran, author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an email newsletter from Hong Kong. If you are here for Hong Kong politics and human rights, read the first half; if you are here for literary and creative reflection, read the second half. (And all of you can read the shameless self-promotion in the middle.) Hong Kong update Where to start.
The Pandemic Serves to Cover a Hong Kong Crackdown
class="dek-heading">The gap between the mainland and the city is closing fast.
The Pandemic Is Cover for a Crackdown in Hong Kong
When COVID-19 broke out in China this year, Hong Kong was on the front lines. It was not an unfamiliar place for the city that weathered the SARS epidemic in 2003. But with virus news now dominating headlines, it is easy to forget that it was only a few months ago that headlines in Hong Kong were dominated by the protests that consumed the city for seven months last year.
TO THE BARRICADES – Linda Jaivin on Antony Dapiran
On 9 June 2019, a million people poured into the streets of Hong Kong, kicking off a protest movement that would last seven months, see pitched battles between citizens and police on tear-gassed streets, and shake the territory to its economic foundations. Bruce Lee’s ‘be water’ defined its fluid and agile tactics.
A 10th Procrastination: Locked down
It’s been some time so, just by way of reminder: I am Antony Dapiran, the author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is a Procrastination, an occasional email newsletter from Hong Kong. If you were forwarded this email by someone else, you can sign-up to receive these emails directly via the “Sign Up Now” button at the end of this email. And of course you can always unsubscribe with one click and no hard feelings via the link also at the end of this email.
Antony Dapiran : 9781913348113
A long-time resident of Hong Kong, Antony Dapiran has written about the protests for The Guardian and New Statesman, has been interviewed on the subject by the BBC, Sky News (UK), and Channel 4 (UK), and his expert views have been quoted by leading media outlets across the globe, including The Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Irish Times. show more
City on Fire | Book | Scribe Publications
FREE SHIPPING ALL OVER AUSTRALIA Open menu Scribe AUS Scribe UK Scribe US Catalogue View Cart Search Home Books & Authors Books City on Fire the fight for Hong Kong Antony Dapiran ‘City on Fire by Antony Dapiran, a lawyer and writer, offers a firsthand analysis and description of one of the 21st century's most significant struggles. China's authoritarian interference in Hong Kong was met by a unique and unprecedented popular uprising.
A 9th Procrastination: The book is done!
Dear friends This is A Procrastination, an occasional newsletter from Hong Kong. You can always unsubscribe by clicking on the “Unsubscribe” link at the footer of this email. If you were forwarded this email by someone else, you can subscribe to receive future instalments directly by clicking the “Subscribe now” button, also at the end of this email. Further below, I offer a few thoughts on Beijing’s recent Hong Kong leadership changes.
What do we call Hong Kong’s nameless “2019 protests” in 2020?
It was Confucius who extolled the “rectification of names.” “If names be not correct,” he said, “language is not in accordance with the truth of things.” And as much as it is stooping to the most base of journalistic clichés to begin a China-related article by referring to Confucius, it’s hard not to agree that the old guy was onto something.
An 8th Procrastination: Year's End
Dear friends This is a Procrastination, an occasional newsletter from Hong Kong: City on Fire. I feel obliged to apologise for my relative silence over the past few weeks. As I explained in my first instalment, I began this newsletter as way of procrastinating writing my book.
A 7th Procrastination: Landslide in Hong Kong
Dear friends, This is A Procrastination, an email newsletter from Hong Kong: City on Fire. World-renowned China scholar Geremie Barmé calls Hong Kong the “Best China”. Well, we certainly saw the Best China on display yesterday. Hong Kong Votes It is unusual for local council elections to generate much excitement even in the city in which they are being held, let alone to make headlines across the globe.
A 6th Procrastination: HK Burns
Dear friends This is A Procrastination, an email newsletter from Hong Kong: a City on Fire. Last Monday night I wrote to you, perhaps slightly flippantly, “It may be another busy week.” If only I had known...
A 5th Procrastination: Downward Spiral
Dear friends This is A Procrastination, an email newsletter from Hong Kong: a City on Fire, and my home for content that lies somewhere between a Twitter thread and “something more substantial”.
A 4th Procrastination: Internet Censorship in HK
Dear friends, This is A Procrastination, an email update from Hong Kong: a City on Fire. Lawfare again The Hong Kong government threw one more log on its bonfire of Hong Kong’s rule of law last week, with another injunction obtained in the courts, this time to prevent the dissemination online of any information that “promotes, encourages or incites the use or threat of violence” to person or property.
A 3rd Procrastination: Bad Law & Lawfare
Dear friends, This is A Procrastination, an email update from Hong Kong. As always, you can unsubscribe by clicking on the “Unsubscribe” link at the footer of this email. If you were forwarded this email by someone else, you can subscribe to receive future instalments directly by clicking the “Sign up now” button, also at the end of this email.
Lawfare in Hong Kong
Lawfare in Hong Kong By Antony Dapiran The Umbrella Movement protests that brought Hong Kong to a standstill and into living rooms around the world are already three years past. Yet the battle between the pro-Beijing establishment and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists continues to rage.
A Procrastination
Dear friends, This, as will soon become apparent, is a procrastination. It is also the first of what may become an irregular series of email updates to friends and other interested persons about events in Hong Kong & China, my writing and other related matters. (If none of those matters are of interest to you, please scroll to the end of this email and instantly unsubscribe with one click, zero hard feelings, and an apology for the intrusion.) An Email Newsletter?
Hong Kong Regulatory Update – October 2019 | JD Supra
查看中文 This update provides an overview of key regulatory developments in the past three months relevant to companies listed, or planning to list, on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx), and their advisers. In particular, it covers amendments to the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on HKEx (Listing Rules) as well as announcements, guidance and enforcement-related news from HKEx and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
Scribe acquires book on Hong Kong protest movement
Scribe’s publisher, Henry Rosenbloom, has acquired world rights in City on Fire: the fight for Hong Kong, by Antony Dapiran, an Australian writer and lawyer who moved to Hong Kong 20 years ago.
Two protest movements, two soundtracks
On the first night of the Umbrella Movement on Sept. 28, 2014, I watched thousands of protesters sit on the road facing a phalanx of riot police singing the Cantopop anthem “Boundless Ocean, Vast Skies” made famous by Hong Kong band Beyond.
The soundtrack of this year’s Hong Kong protests marks a somber turn from the Umbrella Movement
On the first night of the Umbrella Movement on Sept. 28, 2014, I watched thousands of protesters sit on the road facing a phalanx of riot police singing the Cantopop anthem “Boundless Ocean, Vast Skies” made famous by Hong Kong band Beyond.
Hong Kong's Protest Movement Is Getting Darker
Previous demonstrations in the city were colorful, hopeful, and exuberant. Rallies this summer have been more forlorn. Antony Dapiran September 10, 2019 A protester holds up a black version of Hong Kong's flag during a pro-democracy rally.Tyrone Siu / Reuters HONG KONG—Before this summer’s rallies, the last major protest movement here was an exuberant affair.
Hungry Ghosts in Hong Kong
“Hell Money” featuring Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo and Secretary for Security John Lee. It was the Hungry Ghost Festival last week in Hong Kong, a time when the spirits of the dead return to roam the earth, and people leave out food to feed the “hungry ghosts” and burn paper offerings for their ancestors on Hong Kong’s roadsides.
Beijing Is Shooting Its Own Foot in Hong Kong
Argument Political paranoia is making it hard for the Chinese Communist Party to sell its own narrative. Students attend a rally at Edinburgh Place in Hong Kong on Aug. 22. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images As protests continue to rock Hong Kong, Beijing’s efforts to contain the unrest and impose its narrative on the unfolding events, both at home and abroad, are beginning to have an impact—but perhaps not in the way that the Chinese leaders intended.
An 11th Procrastination: The Reckoning
Dear friends First, a quick reminder: I am Antony Dapiran, the author of City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong, and this is A Procrastination, an occasional email newsletter from Hong Kong. In this instalment: Hong Kong faces its reckoning; some recent clippings & appearances; a bit of book news; and more Nourishment & Consolation. HK: The Reckoning We always knew there would be a reckoning for the events of 2019.
Memes and satire on Hong Kong's frontlines
Away from the current clashes between police and protesters, artists and digital activists are using parodies and humor to protest the crackdown Illustration by Badiucao For 9 consecutive weekends, the people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets in anti-government protests that have rocked the international financial center once considered one of Asia's safest cities.
Memes and satire on Hong Kong’s front lines
For nine consecutive weekends, the people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets in anti-government protests that have rocked the international financial center once considered one of Asia’s safest cities. What began as peaceful opposition to a proposed law that would enable criminal suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to mainland China has evolved into a sometimes violent campaign for democracy.
Will Hong Kong Unravel?
No matter how the anti-extradition protests end, Hong Kong will be radically different. Many taboos that formerly constrained protesters’ actions have been broken. During the 2014 Umbrella Movement, some protesters tried to storm the National Day flag-raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square on October 1, but many more protesters thought such action could trigger a furious response from Beijing, including an intervention by the People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.).
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