The first chapter of Antony Dapiran¡¯s book, ¡°City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong,¡± is a study of tear gas ¡ª its effects, both physical and psychological, and its uses throughout history. It sets the tone for what is to follow, a meticulous account of the street protests that roiled Hong Kong for the latter half of 2019.
In smooth, heady prose that blends legal scholarship with the romanticism of a battle for independence, Dapiran shows what he calls ¡°a fight for the very soul of Hong Kong,¡± from the spark of a contested extradition bill ¡ª provoked by a murder committed by a Hong Kong man in Taiwan ¡ª to the escalation of nearly 7,000 arrests and a shutdown of the airport and legislature. He shows a city unhinged, on the verge of breakdown.
¡°I have watched as wave after wave of tear gas was unleashed upon crowds of protesters,¡± writes Dapiran, who witnessed the events from beginning to end. ¡°After the protests of 2019, Hong Kongers have a new saying, and a new aspect to their identity: ¡®You¡¯re not a real Hong Konger if you haven¡¯t tasted tear gas.¡¯¡±
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