{"id":286,"title":"China is erasing its border with Hong Kong","description":"This video explores the unique and temporary border between Hong Kong and mainland China, a remnant of the \"one country, two systems\" policy set to expire in 2047. The narrator, Johnny Harris, investigates how China is increasingly eroding Hong Kong's autonomy through infrastructure projects like the world's longest sea-crossing bridge and political interference. This growing influence has sparked a strong sense of local identity and led to massive pro-democracy protests, such as the Umbrella Movement. The documentary delves into the historical context of the British handover, the cultural and political differences, and the anxieties of Hong Kongers as they face an uncertain future under Beijing's tightening grip.","slug":"china-is-erasing-its-border-with-hong-kong","creator":"Vox","duration":864.177052,"tags":["Vox","Johnny Harris","Hong Kong","China","one country two systems","geopolitics","borders","Umbrella Movement","protest","autonomy","documentary"],"transcription":"This is me in the middle of crossing one of the weirdest borders I've ever crossed. It's this one. It divides China from China. And it took me two hours to get through. This border is weird not only because it separates the same country into two, but also because it has an expiration date. July 1st, 2047. Until then, China has promised to stay out, to let Hong Kong be highly autonomous. Hence the border. But the government of China doesn't really want to wait until 2047. They're ready to start erasing this border now, making Hong Kong a proper part of China. And one of the ways they're doing that is this huge bridge. Yeah, I know this isn't really the best shot, so, um, here's a solution. The drone doesn't even have a microphone, but even still, I couldn't help but say, take a look at this bridge as it was flying away. But seriously, take a look at this bridge. China has unveiled the world's largest sea-crossing bridge. It's 55 kilometers, that's 34 miles. It's the longest sea crossing in the world. The bridge connects Hong Kong with Macau and mainland China. I always call this some sort of umbilical cord between Hong Kong and China. They want something physical for you to register in your head that Hong Kong is part of China. So this bridge and a bunch of other recent developments in Hong Kong are bringing up a lot of questions of what is Hong Kong? Who does it really belong to? And what happens when you erase a border? It's June 4th, which is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. There are hundreds of thousands of people here in Tiananmen Square. In the history of Communist China, there has never been anything like this. On June 4th, 1989, pro-democracy protesters were marching on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, calling for the end of single-party rule in China. They were then brutally massacred. Hundreds were killed. The troops have been firing indiscriminately. Marking the end of any sort of widespread democracy movement in China. They've just turned off all the lights in this park. Every year, the residents of Hong Kong hold a vigil to commemorate the people killed in that massacre. This is something that's not allowed in mainland China. But in recent years, this vigil has become more personal to these people. And that's because they are feeling a new level of influence from China. But wait, isn't Hong Kong already a part of China? Technically, yes. Hong Kong belongs to China. But you sure wouldn't think so by looking at this border that I'm at right now. Okay, I made it into China. I mean, technically I was already in China, but now I'm like really in China. So, how did it get like this? Britain and China fought a couple of wars over trade in the 1800s, and Britain eventually took over Hong Kong as a colony. At the time, this was a mainly empty, rocky group of islands in southern China. Under British rule, Hong Kong's population and economy exploded. And even though Hong Kong's population was mainly made up of immigrants from China, it became a very different society than mainland China, which was undergoing a communist revolution. One of the treaties that China and Britain signed said that Hong Kong would be a British colony for 99 years, which meant that the agreement would officially expire in 1997. As that expiration date drew nearer, China and Great Britain started to talk about what this is going to look like. Britain acknowledges that when the lease runs out in 1997 on most of the territory, the whole of Hong Kong will revert to China. Let's finish talking about this stuff up there. If you go up to the 69th floor in this building in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen, you'll find a life-sized wax sculpture of this moment in the mid-80s when the leaders from China and Great Britain sat around and negotiated the terms of handing over Hong Kong to China. And they came to this agreement that Britain would give over Hong Kong peacefully to China under the condition that Hong Kong would be able to retain its way of life, legal system, their economic system. Freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of association. These are fundamental freedoms. Freedom of religious worship. These are fundamental freedoms and they must continue. China agreed. They said they would let them be independent and govern themselves for 50 years while they kind of adjusted to Chinese rule. 50 years beyond 1997. And so this was the agreement that they came to. It was called the one country, two systems model, and it was kind of unprecedented. Okay, let's head back to Hong Kong. See you, Margaret. See you, Deng. So, even after Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, this border that I'm now biking to stuck around. It remained exactly how it was. And this border became highly symbolic of the fact that yes, this is China, but it was kind of its own country at the same time, governed with its own values and its own system that is different than China, that is in opposition to China in some ways. Perhaps the most overt symbol of Chinese sovereignty is this army barracks behind me. It's the Chinese army. And so even though these soldiers can't leave the barracks or do any sort of enforcement activities within Hong Kong, they're still here in this central area of the city and they serve as a very powerful symbol of the fact that this is Chinese territory. This is Chinese sovereignty. But these soldiers won't be confined for much longer. The borders around their barracks, as well as this border up north, are quickly dissolving. China has committed to respecting Hong Kong's autonomy until 2047. And for the first decade after the handover, they respected that promise. What you have to understand is that Hong Kong was easily China's most economically productive city. In the early 90s, right before the handover, this one city's economy was more than a quarter of the size of China's entire economy. And so it makes sense why China would agree to these terms to keep Hong Kong happy and economically free. But then things changed. Look at the explosive development of these Chinese cities in recent years. These are China's mega cities. These cities eventually eclipsed Hong Kong as the economic powerhouse of China. Shenzhen, this town that shares the border with Hong Kong, is a perfect example of this. The place went from a small fishing village of around 30,000 people to a super productive economic powerhouse of over 10 million people in just a few decades. Hong Kong went from making up 27% of Chinese GDP in the early 90s down to just 3% today. And suddenly, Hong Kong, once the economic powerhouse of China and the gateway to the West, became much less economically relevant. And soon the Chinese government didn't have the same incentives to respect Hong Kong's autonomy. Now you begin to see a flood of Chinese influence in this city. Let's go see if we can catch the 5:00 news. Good. Nice to meet you. In recent years, the evening news broadcast has started with the national anthem of China, playing under a promo video that shows Hong Kongers enthusiastically participating in traditional Chinese customs. The message is very clear that Hong Kong is a part of China, whether they like it or not. On top of that, the language of the evening news is Mandarin, the official language of China. But in Hong Kong, they don't speak Mandarin, they speak Cantonese. Don't they say if you want to kill a city, you kill its language first. And we speak Cantonese here. There are actually some professors in Hong Kong and China telling us that, oh, Cantonese is actually not our mother tongue. Not Hong Kongers' mother tongue. Cantonese is actually just a dialect of Chinese. The Chinese government tried to get teachers to use this textbook to teach Hong Kong children the basics about China. But looking into the book, you see that it's more of an advertisement for China's style of government than an introduction to it. The China system is the ideal type. So, multi-party rivalry will make the people suffer. It's about all these four points are about how bad the United States is. Multiparty systems create government shutdowns. They're basically pointing to that as the reason why a multi-party system like that of the United States is deeply flawed and really bad for the people. In 2014, China took it one step too far. The Chinese government was trying to control who could run for Hong Kong's election in an effort to secure a pro-China candidate. This really touched a nerve for the locals because this was their democratic process, something that China promised they would stay out of. So people immediately took to the streets in protest, starting here in this park. I took a taxi from my home to here on the night. What was it like down here that that night? We were in a standoff-ish situation. And suddenly, they used tear gas. The first drop of tear gas just dropped right in front of my eyes. We were holding umbrellas trying to prevent pepper sprays. So I remember that itchy, painful feeling. Oh my gosh. I saw Hong Kong people joining, uniting together against against the central government and fighting for their rights. These protests and the subsequent movement that came up around it is known as the Umbrella Movement. You would say, oh, what's the point of fighting when you're bound to lose? They're so big, you're so small. For the record, we need to fight. We're not taking things lying down. The protest didn't change the Chinese government's mind, and it didn't immediately change anything in Hong Kong. But this spectacle of young people rising up to defend their rights from the central government of China did spark a political awakening among the many in the city who had never before paid attention. I think post-Umbrella Movement was the first time that the middle class came out and voted in droves, and voted for the opposition force. But for the first time, like, you know, people, someone like ourselves, started caring. Look at this graph that shows how Hong Kongers identify themselves, either as Chinese or Hong Konger. In the early days after the handoff, as China respected the one-party, two-systems arrangement, you can see how Hong Kongers slowly became more and more comfortable identifying themselves as Chinese. But since then, with the growing influence from the Chinese government, you can see this line reverse course. Residents of Hong Kong who identify themselves as Chinese has almost hit a new all-time low. The Umbrella Movement is a manifestation of this growing Hong Kong identity and the resistance to Chinese government influence. China responded to the Umbrella Movement with a new wave of efforts to exert influence in this city. I'm standing outside the bookstore where in 2015, five staff members disappeared throughout the year. This bookstore was selling books that were banned in China that basically covered the sex lives and the corruption scandals of high-ranking Chinese officials. And so one by one, throughout 2015, people who worked in these in this bookstore disappeared. No one really knows where they went. One of them showed up a bit later on Chinese television apologizing for what he did and confessing to his crimes. So I want to return to China to turn myself in. I want to shoulder my own responsibility. I'm also willing to accept any punishment. The bookstore has since closed down.","timeline":[{"t":0,"speech":"This is me in the middle of crossing one of the weirdest borders I've ever crossed.","visual":{"action":"A man stands inside an automated photo booth, looking at his own image on a screen.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","light blue","gray","flesh tone","dark brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man's face on the screen.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Curious, slightly tense","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"camera on a gimbal","position":"held by the man","state":"recording"},{"color":"white","name":"photo booth","position":"surrounding the man","state":"in use"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"light blue t-shirt"},"face":"Neutral expression, looking forward, has a beard and mustache.","hair":"Short, styled, light brown/blonde.","hands":"Holding a small camera on a gimbal.","pose":"Standing, facing the camera.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern, minimalist","background":"Plain white wall inside the booth.","lighting":"Bright, even, from vertical light panels on either side.","location":"Automated photo booth at a border crossing"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Welcome to self-service photo system","location":"top of the screen","style":"digital text"},{"content":"Look at eye level","location":"bottom of the screen","style":"digital text"}]}},{"t":10,"speech":"It's this one. It divides China from China.","visual":{"action":"An aerial drone shot flies over a river that separates a dense urban area from a green, hilly landscape.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["light blue","dark green","gray","brown","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle","focus":"The entire landscape, showing the contrast between the two sides of the river.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Illustrative, expansive","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern high-rise buildings on the left, less developed on the right.","background":"Distant mountains under a hazy sky.","lighting":"Bright daylight.","location":"Border between Shenzhen, China and Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"CHINA","location":"left side of the river","style":"bold, white text with black outline"},{"content":"CHINA","location":"right side of the river","style":"bold, white text with black outline"}]}},{"t":15,"speech":"And it took me two hours to get through.","visual":{"action":"A montage of border crossing activities: walking through a modern terminal, a security guard gesturing, automated gates, a red sign with a yellow hammer and sickle, scanning a passport, and filling out an arrival card.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","gray","red","yellow","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, point-of-view","focus":"The various checkpoints and procedures of the border crossing.","framing":"various, including medium and close-up shots"},"mood":"Bureaucratic, busy, procedural","objects":[{"color":"stainless steel","name":"turnstiles","position":"throughout the terminal","state":"in use"},{"color":"yellow","name":"arrival/departure card","position":"on a counter","state":"being filled out"}],"people":[{"age_range":"40-50","clothing":{"accessories":"ID badge on a lanyard","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"white short-sleeved pilot-style shirt"},"face":"Smiling","hair":"Short, black","hands":"Gesturing forward","pose":"Standing, interacting with the camera person.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern airport/train terminal style.","background":"Other travelers, signs, and security infrastructure.","lighting":"Bright, fluorescent overhead lighting.","location":"Luohu Port / Lo Wu Control Point"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":25,"speech":"but also because it has an expiration date. July 1st, 2047.","visual":{"action":"An animated map shows the border between mainland China and Hong Kong. A date appears over Hong Kong.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","light gray","tan","black","orange"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead","focus":"The map of Hong Kong and the date.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Informative, ominous","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"White background.","lighting":"N/A (graphic)","location":"Animated map"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"CHINA","location":"top center","style":"black block text"},{"content":"HONG KONG","location":"bottom center","style":"black block text"},{"content":"JULY 1, 2047","location":"center","style":"large black block text"}]}},{"t":35,"speech":"Hence the border. But the government of China doesn't really want to wait until 2047.","visual":{"action":"A montage shows a concrete wall with barbed wire, Chinese soldiers marching in formation, a military parade with a large Chinese flag, and Xi Jinping at a podium.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","green","blue","red","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"various (low-angle on wall, eye-level on soldiers)","focus":"Symbols of Chinese military and political power.","framing":"medium and wide shots"},"mood":"Authoritarian, powerful, imposing","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"Chinese flag","position":"being carried in a parade","state":"waving"}],"people":[{"age_range":"20-30","clothing":{"accessories":"helmets, gloves","bottom":"blue camouflage pants","footwear":"boots","top":"blue camouflage shirts"},"face":"Serious, focused expressions.","hair":"short, black","hands":"Holding rifles.","pose":"Marching in unison.","position":"filling the frame"},{"age_range":"60-70","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"green Mao-style suit"},"face":"Slight smile, looking forward.","hair":"black","hands":"Resting on a podium.","pose":"Standing behind a podium.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Outdoor parade ground, green hills.","lighting":"Daylight.","location":"China"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":46,"speech":"And one of the ways they're doing that is this huge bridge.","visual":{"action":"A very long bridge is visible in the distance, stretching across a large body of water, viewed from a high, hilly vantage point.","colors":{"dominant":"cyan","palette":["cyan","light green","gray","white","dark green"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle","focus":"The distant bridge.","framing":"extreme wide shot"},"mood":"Vast, slightly hazy","objects":[{"color":"gray","name":"bridge","position":"horizon, across the water","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Hazy sky and distant land.","lighting":"Bright, hazy daylight.","location":"Overlooking the sea near Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":53,"speech":"here's a solution.","visual":{"action":"A man takes a folded drone out of a backpack, unfolds its arms, and prepares it for flight.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["dark gray","light gray","brown","green","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"close-up","focus":"The man's hands and the drone.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Preparatory, practical","objects":[{"color":"gray","name":"drone","position":"in man's hands","state":"being unfolded"},{"color":"dark gray","name":"backpack","position":"on the ground","state":"open"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"black shorts","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Not visible.","hair":"Not visible.","hands":"Unpacking and unfolding a drone.","pose":"Crouching over a backpack.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Rocky, coastal terrain.","lighting":"Bright, direct sunlight.","location":"Rocky shoreline"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":59,"speech":"but even still, I couldn't help but say, take a look at this bridge","visual":{"action":"The narrator, crouching on rocks, holds a drone controller and points out towards the sea with his right hand.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["light gray","brown","black","green","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Enthusiastic, demonstrative","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"drone controller","position":"in his left hand","state":"being held"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"black shorts","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Speaking, looking off-camera to the right and pointing.","hair":"Short, light brown/blonde.","hands":"Left hand holds controller, right hand is pointing.","pose":"Crouching on rocks.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Large, light-colored rocks and some green foliage.","lighting":"Bright daylight.","location":"Rocky shoreline"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":65,"speech":"But seriously, take a look at this bridge.","visual":{"action":"A stunning aerial drone shot flies alongside a massive, multi-lane bridge that curves over a vast expanse of greenish water.","colors":{"dominant":"greenish-blue","palette":["pale blue","greenish-blue","gray","white","dark gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle, aerial","focus":"The bridge stretching into the distance.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Awe-inspiring, grand, epic","objects":[{"color":"gray","name":"Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge","position":"spanning the water","state":"in use, with some cars visible"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern bridge engineering.","background":"Distant mountains, hazy sky with clouds.","lighting":"Bright, slightly overcast daylight.","location":"Over the Pearl River Delta"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":80,"speech":"It's 55 kilometers, that's 34 miles. It's the longest sea crossing in the world.","visual":{"action":"The narrator stands on a rocky shore, speaking directly to the camera, gesturing with his hands to emphasize the scale of the bridge.","colors":{"dominant":"teal","palette":["teal","light brown","black","white","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Informative, enthusiastic","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"black shorts","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Speaking animatedly, making eye contact with the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown/blonde, slightly windswept.","hands":"Gesturing outwards for emphasis.","pose":"Standing, facing camera.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"The teal-colored sea and a distant shoreline.","lighting":"Bright, direct sunlight.","location":"Rocky shoreline"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":95,"speech":"I always call this some sort of umbilical cord between Hong Kong and China.","visual":{"action":"A woman with short black hair, wearing a white shirt, sits in an office and speaks to an off-camera interviewer.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","beige","black","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The woman speaking.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Serious, analytical","objects":[{"color":"blue","name":"folding chair","position":"behind her, to the left","state":"folded"},{"color":"white","name":"whiteboard","position":"on the wall behind her","state":"covered in notes and pictures"}],"people":[{"age_range":"50-60","clothing":{"accessories":"earrings, watch","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"white button-up blouse"},"face":"Serious, speaking with conviction.","hair":"Short, black, styled.","hands":"Resting on the arms of her chair, gesturing slightly.","pose":"Sitting in an office chair.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Standard office interior.","background":"An office with a whiteboard, posters, and a desk.","lighting":"Bright, professional studio lighting.","location":"Office"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Claudia Mo","location":"bottom left","style":"white text, large name"},{"content":"Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council","location":"bottom left","style":"white text, smaller title"}]}},{"t":110,"speech":"So this bridge and a bunch of other recent developments in Hong Kong are bringing up a lot of questions of what is Hong Kong?","visual":{"action":"A chaotic scene of a protest at night. Police officers in yellow vests are in a tense standoff with a large crowd of protesters.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","yellow","white","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The confrontation between police and protesters.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Tense, chaotic, confrontational","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"20-40","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"light blue police shirts, yellow reflective vests"},"face":"Serious, shouting.","hair":"Short, black.","hands":"Pushing against the crowd, holding batons.","pose":"Standing in a line, facing protesters.","position":"foreground"},{"age_range":"20-50","clothing":{"accessories":"some wearing masks","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"various casual shirts"},"face":"Angry, shouting, some recording with phones.","hair":"various","hands":"Pushing, holding phones.","pose":"Crowded together, pushing against the police line.","position":"background"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Urban street with storefronts.","background":"City buildings at night.","lighting":"Streetlights and camera flashes.","location":"Hong Kong street at night"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":125,"speech":"It's June 4th, which is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.","visual":{"action":"The narrator walks through a very crowded street at night, holding the camera selfie-style and speaking into it.","colors":{"dominant":"yellow","palette":["black","white","yellow","red","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator's face.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Urgent, crowded, informative","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"backpack","position":"on the narrator's back","state":"being worn"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black and white striped button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking seriously to the camera, looking slightly flushed.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Walking and talking.","position":"center foreground"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Dense urban street with many signs.","background":"A large crowd of people walking in the same direction, brightly lit storefronts.","lighting":"Bright neon and streetlights.","location":"Causeway Bay, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":139,"speech":"On June 4th, 1989, pro-democracy protesters were marching on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, calling for the end of single-party rule in China.","visual":{"action":"Archival footage shows a massive crowd of protesters in Tiananmen Square, with a large statue resembling the Statue of Liberty.","colors":{"dominant":"sepia","palette":["beige","sepia","white","red","dark gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The crowd and the 'Goddess of Democracy' statue.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Historic, hopeful, defiant","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"Goddess of Democracy statue","position":"center of the crowd","state":"standing"},{"color":"red","name":"flags","position":"held by protesters","state":"waving"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"1980s attire, mostly light-colored shirts"},"face":"Faces are small and indistinct in the crowd.","hair":"black","hands":"Waving, holding flags.","pose":"Marching, standing in a large crowd.","position":"filling the square"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Traditional Chinese gate in the background (Tiananmen Gate).","background":"The square and surrounding buildings.","lighting":"Hazy daylight.","location":"Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1989"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":152,"speech":"They were then brutally massacred. Hundreds were killed.","visual":{"action":"A montage of grainy archival footage from the massacre: a street with overturned bicycles, injured people being loaded onto a truck, and military trucks moving through the city.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["dark gray","light gray","beige","red","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"various, mostly high-angle and eye-level","focus":"The aftermath of the military crackdown.","framing":"wide and medium shots"},"mood":"Tragic, violent, somber","objects":[{"color":"dark gray","name":"bicycles","position":"scattered on a wide street","state":"overturned, abandoned"},{"color":"light blue","name":"truck","position":"center frame","state":"being loaded with injured people"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"casual 1980s clothing"},"face":"Distressed, helping the injured.","hair":"black","hands":"Lifting and carrying bodies.","pose":"Helping the wounded, fleeing.","position":"various"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Urban streets of Beijing.","background":"City streets and buildings.","lighting":"Grainy daylight and night shots.","location":"Beijing, 1989"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":165,"speech":"They've just turned off all the lights in this park.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, looking shocked, speaks to the camera as the ambient lights in the park behind him are extinguished, plunging the background into darkness.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","yellow","flesh tone","white","green"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator's surprised reaction.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Dramatic, surprising, somber","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black and white striped shirt"},"face":"Eyes wide, mouth open in surprise.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Standing still, reacting to the lights turning off.","position":"center foreground"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A park at night, with trees and other people, which quickly goes dark.","lighting":"Warm ambient park lighting that is suddenly turned off.","location":"Victoria Park, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":172,"speech":"Every year, the residents of Hong Kong hold a vigil to commemorate the people killed in that massacre.","visual":{"action":"An immense crowd fills a park at night, each person holding a lit candle, creating a sea of tiny lights.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","warm yellow","orange","dark green","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle, aerial","focus":"The vast scale of the crowd and their candles.","framing":"extreme wide shot"},"mood":"Somber, reverent, unified, powerful","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"candles","position":"held by thousands of people","state":"lit"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{},"face":"Indistinguishable dots in the crowd.","hair":"","hands":"Holding candles.","pose":"Standing together in a massive vigil.","position":"filling the entire park"}],"setting":{"architecture":"A large stage is visible at the far end of the park.","background":"Dark trees and city lights in the distance.","lighting":"Dominated by the light of thousands of candles.","location":"Victoria Park, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Victoria Park","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"},{"content":"June 4, 2018","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"}]}},{"t":185,"speech":"But in recent years, this vigil has become more personal to these people. And that's because they are feeling a new level of influence from China.","visual":{"action":"Close-up and medium shots of people at the candlelight vigil. They hold their candles with solemn expressions, looking forward.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","warm yellow","orange","flesh tone","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The faces and candles of individual participants.","framing":"close-up and medium shots"},"mood":"Solemn, personal, reflective","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"candles","position":"held by people","state":"lit"}],"people":[{"age_range":"20-60","clothing":{"accessories":"some wear glasses","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"mostly dark-colored shirts"},"face":"Solemn, serious, looking down or straight ahead.","hair":"various","hands":"Cupping candles.","pose":"Standing in the crowd.","position":"various, filling the frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Out-of-focus crowd and city lights.","lighting":"Warm, low light from the candles.","location":"Victoria Park, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":195,"speech":"But wait, isn't Hong Kong already a part of China? Technically, yes. Hong Kong belongs to China.","visual":{"action":"The narrator walks along an outdoor covered walkway at a border crossing, speaking to the camera selfie-style.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","light green","white","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Inquisitive, explanatory","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"backpack","position":"on narrator's back","state":"being worn"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking directly to the camera, walking.","hair":"Short, light brown, slightly messy.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Walking forward.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Concrete pillars and a covered ceiling.","background":"The border terminal building with glass walls and other travelers in the distance.","lighting":"Bright, natural daylight.","location":"Lo Wu Control Point walkway"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":208,"speech":"Okay, I made it into China. I mean, technically I was already in China, but now I'm like really in China.","visual":{"action":"The narrator, having crossed the border, walks in an urban area and speaks to the camera selfie-style.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","blue","white","black","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator's face and reaction.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Reflective, slightly wry","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking to the camera with a thoughtful expression.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Walking.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern urban environment with shops and underpasses.","background":"A busy street scene with other pedestrians and storefronts.","lighting":"Daylight, some areas are in shadow.","location":"Shenzhen, China, just outside the border crossing"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":220,"speech":"Britain and China fought a couple of wars over trade in the 1800s, and Britain eventually took over Hong Kong as a colony.","visual":{"action":"A montage of black and white historical illustrations depicting the Opium Wars: naval battles with steamships and junks, and British soldiers in combat.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","sepia"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (illustration)","focus":"The historical events depicted.","framing":"full frame on the illustrations"},"mood":"Historical, dramatic, informative","objects":[{"color":"black and white","name":"steamships","position":"on the water","state":"in battle, emitting smoke"},{"color":"black and white","name":"junks","position":"on the water","state":"in battle"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"19th-century military uniforms and Chinese clothing"},"face":"Indistinct in the drawings.","hair":"","hands":"Holding weapons, rowing boats.","pose":"Fighting in battle.","position":"various"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Sea and land battle scenes.","lighting":"N/A (illustration)","location":"Historical China"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":232,"speech":"Under British rule, Hong Kong's population and economy exploded.","visual":{"action":"A montage of faded, color archival footage from mid-20th century Hong Kong: a bustling street with double-decker buses and cars, and crowds of people walking.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["faded red","beige","faded blue","dark gray","yellow"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The vibrant, crowded city life.","framing":"wide and medium shots"},"mood":"Nostalgic, bustling, dynamic","objects":[{"color":"green, blue","name":"double-decker buses","position":"on the street","state":"moving"},{"color":"various","name":"shop signs in Chinese","position":"lining the street","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"1960s-70s style clothing"},"face":"Indistinct in the crowd.","hair":"black","hands":"Walking, carrying bags.","pose":"Walking on sidewalks and crossing streets.","position":"filling the streets"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Dense, mid-rise urban buildings.","background":"The city streets of Hong Kong.","lighting":"Natural daylight, slightly faded color.","location":"Hong Kong (archival)"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":248,"speech":"As that expiration date drew nearer, China and Great Britain started to talk about what this is going to look like.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is in a modern, high-floor observatory, looking out at the city of Shenzhen below.","colors":{"dominant":"light blue","palette":["light blue","gray","white","flesh tone","dark blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Explanatory, scenic","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking to the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Standing.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern skyscraper interior.","background":"A large window showing a panoramic view of the Shenzhen skyline.","lighting":"Bright, natural light from the window.","location":"SEG Plaza, Shenzhen"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":255,"speech":"If you go up to the 69th floor in this building in the Chinese border city of Shenzhen, you'll find a life-sized wax sculpture of this moment in the mid-80s","visual":{"action":"The camera pans to reveal a wax sculpture diorama depicting Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping sitting in red armchairs, negotiating.","colors":{"dominant":"red","palette":["red","blue","gray","flesh tone","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The wax figures.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Historical, slightly surreal","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"armchairs","position":"center","state":"occupied by wax figures"},{"color":"brown","name":"small table","position":"between the chairs","state":"holding flowers and teacups"}],"people":[{"age_range":"60-70","clothing":{"accessories":"pearl necklace","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue dress with white polka dots"},"face":"Smiling, looking at the other figure.","hair":"Styled, reddish-brown.","hands":"Clasped in her lap.","pose":"Sitting upright in a chair.","position":"right"},{"age_range":"80-90","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"gray Mao-style suit"},"face":"Smiling, looking at the other figure.","hair":"black, balding","hands":"Resting on his knees.","pose":"Sitting in a chair.","position":"left"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A painted backdrop showing Tiananmen Square and the Hong Kong skyline.","lighting":"Warm, focused spotlights on the figures.","location":"Museum/Observatory in Shenzhen"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"DENG XIAOPING","location":"left","style":"white text"},{"content":"MARGARET THATCHER","location":"right","style":"white text"}]}},{"t":270,"speech":"And they came to this agreement that Britain would give over Hong Kong peacefully to China under the condition that Hong Kong would be able to retain its way of life, legal system, their economic system.","visual":{"action":"An archival document titled \"JOINT DECLARATION... ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG\" is shown, with a key phrase highlighted.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","yellow","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead","focus":"The text of the document.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Formal, historical, significant","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"document","position":"full frame","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Overlayed on a photo of the signing ceremony.","lighting":"N/A (graphic)","location":"N/A"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"(5) The current social and economic systems in Hong Kong will remain unchanged, and so will the life-style.","location":"center","style":"typed text, highlighted in yellow"}]}},{"t":281,"speech":"China agreed. They said they would let them be independent and govern themselves for 50 years while they kind of adjusted to Chinese rule.","visual":{"action":"Archival footage shows Margaret Thatcher and a Chinese official shaking hands after signing the Joint Declaration.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["dark green","black","red","white","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The handshake between the two leaders.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Historic, formal, diplomatic","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"document folders","position":"being exchanged","state":"closed"}],"people":[{"age_range":"60-70","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black suit jacket"},"face":"Smiling.","hair":"Styled, reddish-brown.","hands":"Shaking hands.","pose":"Standing, shaking hands.","position":"left"},{"age_range":"70-80","clothing":{"accessories":"glasses","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"dark suit"},"face":"Serious expression.","hair":"black","hands":"Shaking hands.","pose":"Standing, shaking hands.","position":"right"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Formal hall.","background":"A large group of officials watching and applauding.","lighting":"Bright indoor lighting.","location":"Great Hall of the People, Beijing"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":290,"speech":"And so this was the agreement that they came to. It was called the one country, two systems model, and it was kind of unprecedented.","visual":{"action":"A graphic overlay with the words \"ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS\" appears over the archival footage of the signing ceremony.","colors":{"dominant":"red","palette":["red","black","white","flesh tone","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The text overlay.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Definitive, informative","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"60-80","clothing":{},"face":"","hair":"","hands":"","pose":"Sitting in chairs.","position":"background"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A blurred image of the signing ceremony.","lighting":"Soft indoor lighting.","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS","location":"center","style":"bold white text on a black bar"}]}},{"t":300,"speech":"See you, Margaret. See you, Deng.","visual":{"action":"The narrator walks away from the wax figure diorama, waving goodbye to the figures.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["dark green","red","yellow","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Humorous, transitional","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"Chinese flag","position":"on the wall","state":"hanging"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"gray t-shirt"},"face":"Smiling, speaking to the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Waving.","pose":"Walking away.","position":"foreground"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern museum/observatory interior.","background":"The wax figure diorama, a Chinese flag, other tourists.","lighting":"Indoor lighting.","location":"Museum/Observatory in Shenzhen"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":310,"speech":"So, even after Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, this border that I'm now biking to stuck around. It remained exactly how it was.","visual":{"action":"The narrator walks on a city plaza, speaking to the camera selfie-style, with a large train station in the background.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["light gray","blue","white","black","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium close-up"},"mood":"Explanatory, on-the-ground reporting","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking earnestly.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Walking.","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Large, modern train station.","background":"Pedestrians, a public plaza, and the entrance to the station.","lighting":"Bright afternoon sun.","location":"Plaza outside Luohu Port, Shenzhen"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":322,"speech":"And this border became highly symbolic of the fact that yes, this is China, but it was kind of its own country at the same time,","visual":{"action":"The narrator walks along a high, white wall topped with coiled barbed wire.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","gray","green","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator and the imposing wall.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Serious, illustrative","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"border wall","position":"alongside the narrator","state":"static"},{"color":"silver","name":"barbed wire","position":"on top of the wall","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking to the camera with a serious expression.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Walking.","position":"right of frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Border wall.","background":"Trees and a clear blue sky.","lighting":"Bright sunlight.","location":"Along the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border fence"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":332,"speech":"governed with its own values and its own system that is different than China, that is in opposition to China in some ways.","visual":{"action":"A low-angle shot looks up at a concrete guard tower behind a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.","colors":{"dominant":"light blue","palette":["light blue","white","gray","green","silver"]},"composition":{"angle":"low-angle","focus":"The guard tower.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Imposing, militaristic, stark","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"guard tower","position":"center frame","state":"static"},{"color":"silver","name":"barbed wire fence","position":"foreground","state":"static"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Utilitarian, military-style guard tower.","background":"Clear blue sky and green trees.","lighting":"Bright, direct sunlight.","location":"Hong Kong-Shenzhen border"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":345,"speech":"Perhaps the most overt symbol of Chinese sovereignty is this army barracks behind me. It's the Chinese army.","visual":{"action":"The narrator stands on a brick plaza, speaking to the camera with a large, modern building complex (the PLA Garrison) in the background.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["red brick","gray","green","black","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium close-up"},"mood":"Informative, serious","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Speaking to the camera, looking serious.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Standing.","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern, imposing government/military building.","background":"The PLA Garrison building, a road, and greenery.","lighting":"Slightly overcast daylight.","location":"Outside the PLA Garrison in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":357,"speech":"But these soldiers won't be confined for much longer. The borders around their barracks, as well as this border up north, are quickly dissolving.","visual":{"action":"An aerial shot shows the red-colored river border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, symbolizing its dissolution.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["green","red","gray","light blue","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle, aerial","focus":"The entire landscape.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Symbolic, ominous, transitional","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"river (colorized)","position":"center, dividing the landscape","state":"flowing"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Dense city on one side, green hills on the other.","background":"Distant mountains.","lighting":"Bright daylight.","location":"Border between Shenzhen, China and Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":369,"speech":"What you have to understand is that Hong Kong was easily China's most economically productive city.","visual":{"action":"A graph appears on screen showing the decline of Hong Kong's share of China's economy.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","white","orange","black","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (graphic)","focus":"The line graph.","framing":"full frame"},"mood":"Data-driven, informative","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A map of China.","lighting":"N/A","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Hong Kong's share of China's economy","location":"top of graph","style":"black text"}]}},{"t":380,"speech":"Hong Kong went from making up 27% of Chinese GDP in the early 90s down to just 3% today.","visual":{"action":"The line on the graph animates, starting high at 27% in 1993 and dropping sharply to 3% by 2017.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","white","orange","black","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (graphic)","focus":"The animated line on the graph.","framing":"full frame"},"mood":"Illustrative, stark, revealing","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A map of China.","lighting":"N/A","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"27%","location":"peak of the line","style":"bold black text"},{"content":"3%","location":"end of the line","style":"bold black text"},{"content":"Handover","location":"point of decline in 1997","style":"black text"}]}},{"t":392,"speech":"Now you begin to see a flood of Chinese influence in this city.","visual":{"action":"An aerial drone shot flies towards the Hong Kong skyline at dusk, showing the city lights beginning to turn on.","colors":{"dominant":"dark blue","palette":["dark blue","gray","white","orange","teal"]},"composition":{"angle":"aerial","focus":"The entire skyline.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Transitional, beautiful, slightly melancholic","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Iconic modern skyscrapers.","background":"The harbor and distant mountains.","lighting":"Dusk, with city lights reflecting on the water.","location":"Hong Kong skyline"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":400,"speech":"Let's go see if we can catch the 5:00 news.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is sitting in the back of a red taxi, looking out the window as the city passes by.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["dark gray","red","blue","white","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The narrator's face.","framing":"medium close-up"},"mood":"Pensive, in transit","objects":[{"color":"red","name":"taxi interior","position":"surrounding the narrator","state":"moving"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"seatbelt","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Looking out the window, then turns to the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Not visible.","pose":"Sitting in a car.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Urban buildings seen through the car window.","background":"Traffic and city streets.","lighting":"Daylight.","location":"In a taxi in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":410,"speech":"Good. Nice to meet you.","visual":{"action":"The narrator enters a small, cluttered apartment and greets someone off-camera. The camera follows him in.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","gray","blue","brown","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"point-of-view","focus":"The interior of the apartment.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Casual, domestic","objects":[{"color":"gray","name":"sofa","position":"center","state":"covered with a blue blanket"},{"color":"light wood","name":"shelves and cabinets","position":"lining the walls","state":"filled with items"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"khaki shorts","footwear":"barefoot","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Not visible.","hair":"","hands":"Gesturing.","pose":"Walking into the room.","position":"foreground, back to camera"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Small apartment interior.","background":"A very cluttered but organized living space with a loft bed.","lighting":"Warm indoor lighting.","location":"Hong Kong apartment"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":420,"speech":"In recent years, the evening news broadcast has started with the national anthem of China, playing under a promo video that shows Hong Kongers enthusiastically participating in traditional Chinese customs.","visual":{"action":"A television screen shows a promotional video featuring a choir and orchestra performing, intercut with scenes of Chinese culture like martial arts and traditional crafts.","colors":{"dominant":"blue","palette":["blue","white","red","brown","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The television screen.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Patriotic, propagandistic","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"television","position":"on a stand","state":"on"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"khaki shorts","footwear":"sandals","top":"blue shirt"},"face":"Watching the TV with a thoughtful expression.","hair":"light brown","hands":"Resting on his chin.","pose":"Sitting in a chair.","position":"in the room, visible"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Cluttered apartment living room.","background":"The apartment interior.","lighting":"Dim indoor lighting, with light coming from the TV.","location":"Hong Kong apartment"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"承我薪火","location":"on the TV screen","style":"Chinese characters"}]}},{"t":437,"speech":"But in Hong Kong, they don't speak Mandarin, they speak Cantonese.","visual":{"action":"A woman sits in front of a TV screen showing a news broadcast. The news anchor is speaking Mandarin.","colors":{"dominant":"purple","palette":["purple","blue","white","black","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"over-the-shoulder","focus":"The television screen.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Contrasting, informative","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"television","position":"center","state":"on"}],"people":[{"age_range":"40-50","clothing":{},"face":"Back of head is visible.","hair":"short, dark","hands":"","pose":"Watching TV.","position":"foreground"},{"age_range":"30-40","clothing":{"accessories":"glasses","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue suit, white shirt, red tie"},"face":"Speaking seriously.","hair":"short, black","hands":"Clasped on desk.","pose":"Sitting at a news desk.","position":"on the TV screen"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A news studio graphic on the TV.","lighting":"The glow from the television.","location":"Hong Kong apartment"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":447,"speech":"Don't they say if you want to kill a city, you kill its language first. And we speak Cantonese here.","visual":{"action":"Claudia Mo speaks directly to the camera, explaining the cultural importance of the Cantonese language.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","beige","black","blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"Claudia Mo's face.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Defiant, concerned","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"50-60","clothing":{"accessories":"earrings, watch","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"white button-up blouse"},"face":"Speaking with a serious and determined expression.","hair":"Short, black.","hands":"Gesturing for emphasis.","pose":"Sitting in an office chair.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Standard office interior.","background":"An office with a whiteboard, posters, and a desk.","lighting":"Bright, professional studio lighting.","location":"Office"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":454,"speech":"There are actually some professors in Hong Kong and China telling us that, oh, Cantonese is actually not our mother tongue.","visual":{"action":"A young man with glasses sits outdoors and speaks passionately about the language issue.","colors":{"dominant":"green","palette":["olive green","white","gray","flesh tone","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The young man's face.","framing":"medium close-up"},"mood":"Frustrated, earnest","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"20-25","clothing":{"accessories":"round glasses","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"brown t-shirt with a white spartan helmet logo"},"face":"Speaking animatedly, expressing disbelief.","hair":"Short, black.","hands":"Not visible.","pose":"Sitting outdoors.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A park or public space with green bushes.","lighting":"Natural, soft daylight.","location":"Outdoor park in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":465,"speech":"The China system is the ideal type. So multi-party rivalry will make the people suffer.","visual":{"action":"A young man points to specific text in a textbook that criticizes multi-party political systems.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","light green","brown","flesh tone","gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"close-up, overhead","focus":"The text being pointed at in the book.","framing":"extreme close-up"},"mood":"Critical, revealing","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"textbook","position":"on a table","state":"open"}],"people":[{"age_range":"20-25","clothing":{"accessories":"watch","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"gray t-shirt"},"face":"Not visible.","hair":"Not visible.","hands":"Pointing at a line of text in the book.","pose":"Sitting at a table, reading.","position":"hands in frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A patterned wallpaper and a round table.","lighting":"Indoor lighting.","location":"A cafe or home"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":475,"speech":"Multiparty systems create government shutdowns. They're basically pointing to that as the reason why a multiparty system like that of the United States is deeply flawed and really bad for the people.","visual":{"action":"The narrator speaks to the camera in a cafe, explaining the textbook's pro-China, anti-democracy content.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","white","green","flesh tone","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator's face.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Explanatory, critical","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"white and green patterned shirt"},"face":"Speaking with a concerned and slightly incredulous expression.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Sitting and talking.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"The interior of a small shop or cafe, with boxes and a green wall.","lighting":"Indoor fluorescent lighting.","location":"A small shop in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":485,"speech":"In 2014, China took it one step too far.","visual":{"action":"A chaotic night protest scene. A crowd of protesters, many wearing yellow hard hats, clash with police who are using pepper spray.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","yellow","white","blue","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle","focus":"The clash between police and protesters.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Violent, chaotic, intense","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"hard hats","position":"worn by protesters","state":"in use"},{"color":"yellow","name":"pepper spray backpack","position":"on a police officer's back","state":"being used"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"helmets, goggles, masks","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"dark clothing"},"face":"Shouting, faces contorted.","hair":"","hands":"Pushing, holding umbrellas.","pose":"Clashing with police.","position":"filling the street"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Urban street at night.","background":"City buildings and streetlights.","lighting":"Harsh street lighting and flashes.","location":"Hong Kong protest"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":496,"speech":"I took a taxi from my home to here on the night. What was it like down here that that night?","visual":{"action":"The narrator interviews a young woman, Christine Kwong, in an outdoor plaza.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","yellow","green","black","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"Both the narrator and the interviewee.","framing":"two-shot"},"mood":"Inquisitive, reflective","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"20-25","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"yellow sleeveless top"},"face":"Smiling as she begins to speak.","hair":"Long, dark brown.","hands":"Gesturing.","pose":"Sitting, facing the narrator.","position":"left"},{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Listening intently, profile view.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"","pose":"Standing, facing the interviewee.","position":"right"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern concrete plaza with glass railings.","background":"Greenery, trees, and city buildings.","lighting":"Bright, overcast daylight.","location":"Outdoor plaza in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Christine Kwong","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"},{"content":"Journalist","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"}]}},{"t":505,"speech":"We were holding umbrellas, trying to prevent pepper sprays.","visual":{"action":"Protesters use a multitude of open umbrellas as shields against police actions.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","blue","purple","yellow","white"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The wall of umbrellas.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Defensive, chaotic, iconic","objects":[{"color":"various (blue, purple, black)","name":"umbrellas","position":"held up by protesters","state":"open, forming a shield wall"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{"accessories":"helmets, masks","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":""},"face":"Mostly obscured by umbrellas and gear.","hair":"","hands":"Holding umbrellas.","pose":"Huddled together behind the umbrellas.","position":"crowd"},{"age_range":"20-40","clothing":{"accessories":"riot helmet, gloves","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"police uniform with yellow vest"},"face":"Obscured by helmet.","hair":"","hands":"Swinging a baton at the umbrellas.","pose":"Attacking the protesters.","position":"right side"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Urban street.","background":"Crowd and streetlights.","lighting":"Night, with harsh artificial light.","location":"Hong Kong protest"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":515,"speech":"I think post-Umbrella Movement was the first time that the middle class came out and voted in droves, and voted for the opposition force.","visual":{"action":"A man sits in a wheelchair in a modern living room, speaking thoughtfully to an off-camera interviewer.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","brown leather","gray","light blue","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The man speaking.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Analytical, reflective","objects":[{"color":"brown","name":"leather sofa","position":"background","state":"static"},{"color":"white","name":"side table","position":"next to the sofa","state":"static"}],"people":[{"age_range":"40-50","clothing":{"accessories":"","bottom":"olive green pants","footwear":"","top":"dark gray t-shirt"},"face":"Speaking calmly and gesturing.","hair":"Short, black.","hands":"Gesturing to make a point.","pose":"Sitting in a wheelchair.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern apartment interior.","background":"A living room with a sofa, art on the walls, and beanbag chairs.","lighting":"Soft, natural light from a window.","location":"Hong Kong apartment"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Jonathan Leong","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"},{"content":"Hong Kong resident","location":"bottom left","style":"white text"}]}},{"t":525,"speech":"And so this was the agreement that they came to. It was called the one country, two systems model, and it was kind of unprecedented.","visual":{"action":"A line graph animates to show the changing self-identification of Hong Kong residents over time.","colors":{"dominant":"reddish-brown","palette":["reddish-brown","white","yellow","red","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (graphic)","focus":"The intersecting lines on the graph.","framing":"full frame"},"mood":"Data-driven, revealing social trends","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Plain background.","lighting":"N/A","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Would you identify yourself as Hongkonger or Chinese?","location":"top center","style":"bold black text"},{"content":"Hongkonger","location":"top, legend","style":"yellow line"},{"content":"Chinese","location":"top, legend","style":"red line"},{"content":"40% identify as Hongkonger","location":"right side","style":"black text"},{"content":"18% identify as Chinese","location":"right side","style":"black text"}]}},{"t":535,"speech":"So, even after Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, this border that I'm now biking to stuck around. It remained exactly how it was.","visual":{"action":"The narrator is walking his bike along a path next to the border wall.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","green","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium close-up"},"mood":"Explanatory, in motion","objects":[{"color":"black","name":"bicycle","position":"being pushed by narrator","state":"in motion"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Speaking to the camera while walking.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding handlebars of a bike.","pose":"Walking and pushing a bike.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"High white border wall.","background":"The path and the wall.","lighting":"Bright sunlight.","location":"Along the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":550,"speech":"governed with its own values and its own system that is different than China, that is in opposition to China in some ways.","visual":{"action":"The narrator continues walking his bike along the border wall, which is now covered in Chinese text.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","black","gray","green","blue"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Contemplative, symbolic","objects":[{"color":"white","name":"wall","position":"background","state":"covered in text"}],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"blue button-up shirt"},"face":"Serious, looking at the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Pushing a bike.","pose":"Walking.","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Construction hoarding/wall.","background":"The wall with large Chinese characters painted on it.","lighting":"Bright daylight.","location":"Street in Shenzhen, near the border"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":565,"speech":"Hong Kong went from making up 27% of Chinese GDP in the early 90s down to just 3% today.","visual":{"action":"An animated bar graph compares the economies of China and Hong Kong in 1993.","colors":{"dominant":"beige","palette":["beige","white","red","yellow","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (graphic)","focus":"The two bars on the graph.","framing":"full frame"},"mood":"Informative, comparative","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A map of Asia.","lighting":"N/A","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"China's economy, 1993","location":"left","style":"black text"},{"content":"$445 B","location":"left","style":"black text"},{"content":"Hong Kong's economy, 1993","location":"right","style":"black text"},{"content":"$120 B","location":"right","style":"black text"},{"content":"27%","location":"center","style":"black text"}]}},{"t":575,"speech":"And soon the Chinese government didn't have the same incentives to respect Hong Kong's autonomy.","visual":{"action":"An aerial drone shot flies over the Hong Kong harbor at dusk, showing the illuminated skyline.","colors":{"dominant":"dark blue","palette":["dark blue","black","cyan","white","purple"]},"composition":{"angle":"aerial","focus":"The skyline.","framing":"wide shot"},"mood":"Dramatic, beautiful, foreboding","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Modern skyscrapers with neon lights.","background":"The harbor and distant hills.","lighting":"Night, with buildings brightly lit and reflecting on the water.","location":"Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":588,"speech":"The Chinese government tried to get teachers to use this textbook to teach Hong Kong children the basics about China.","visual":{"action":"A young man sits at a table and opens a textbook with a map of China on the cover.","colors":{"dominant":"white","palette":["white","green","red","gray","brown"]},"composition":{"angle":"overhead","focus":"The textbook.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Investigative","objects":[{"color":"green and red","name":"textbook","position":"on the table","state":"being opened"}],"people":[{"age_range":"20-25","clothing":{"accessories":"glasses","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"gray t-shirt"},"face":"Focused on the book.","hair":"Short, black.","hands":"Opening the book.","pose":"Sitting at a table.","position":"center frame"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"A cafe with patterned wallpaper.","lighting":"Indoor lighting.","location":"Cafe in Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":605,"speech":"I think post-Umbrella Movement was the first time that the middle class came out and voted in droves, and voted for the opposition force.","visual":{"action":"Jonathan Leong, a Hong Kong resident, sits in his living room and discusses the political impact of the Umbrella 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'Hongkonger' identity line rising significantly while the 'Chinese' identity line falls.","colors":{"dominant":"reddish-brown","palette":["reddish-brown","white","yellow","red","black"]},"composition":{"angle":"N/A (graphic)","focus":"The diverging lines on the graph.","framing":"full frame"},"mood":"Data-driven, revealing","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Plain background.","lighting":"N/A","location":"N/A (graphic)"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Would you identify yourself as Hongkonger or Chinese?","location":"top center","style":"bold black text"}]}},{"t":630,"speech":"The Umbrella Movement is a manifestation of this growing Hong Kong identity and the resistance to Chinese government influence.","visual":{"action":"A montage of still photos from the Umbrella Movement: a man holding a yellow umbrella in front of police, a woman with tape over her mouth, a man speaking into a microphone in a 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disappearances.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["gray","yellow","black","pink","flesh tone"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level, selfie","focus":"The narrator.","framing":"medium shot"},"mood":"Serious, investigative","objects":[],"people":[{"age_range":"25-35","clothing":{"accessories":"backpack","bottom":"","footwear":"","top":"black t-shirt"},"face":"Serious expression, looking directly at the camera.","hair":"Short, light brown.","hands":"Holding the camera.","pose":"Standing in the street.","position":"center"}],"setting":{"architecture":"Narrow urban street with many storefronts and neon signs.","background":"Pedestrians, shops, and traffic.","lighting":"Daylight.","location":"Causeway Bay, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":656,"speech":"This bookstore was selling books that were banned in China that basically covered the sex lives and the corruption scandals of high-ranking Chinese officials.","visual":{"action":"A close-up shot of several books critical of the 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I want to shoulder my own responsibility. I'm also willing to accept any punishment.","location":"bottom of screen","style":"white subtitles"}]}},{"t":680,"speech":"The bookstore has since closed down.","visual":{"action":"A shot of a metal gate locked with a padlock and chain, in a grimy urban alleyway.","colors":{"dominant":"gray","palette":["dark gray","silver","brown","yellow"]},"composition":{"angle":"eye-level","focus":"The lock on the gate.","framing":"close-up"},"mood":"Final, desolate, silenced","objects":[{"color":"silver","name":"padlock and chain","position":"on a metal gate","state":"locked"},{"color":"yellow","name":"old sign","position":"on the wall","state":"defaced with black spray paint"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Old building entrance/alley.","background":"Tiled wall, electrical meters.","lighting":"Dim, indoor/alley lighting.","location":"Former location of Causeway Bay Books"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":692,"speech":"That was once a fight that happened far away in Beijing. But as this border has slowly been erased, these people now find themselves engaging in that same fight,","visual":{"action":"A montage of images: the massive candlelight vigil, the iconic 'Tank Man' photo from Tiananmen Square, and injured protesters from 1989.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","yellow","gray","sepia","red"]},"composition":{"angle":"various (aerial, eye-level)","focus":"The juxtaposition of past and present struggles for democracy.","framing":"wide and medium shots"},"mood":"Reflective, connecting past and present, somber","objects":[{"color":"olive drab","name":"tank","position":"in front of a lone protester","state":"stopped"}],"people":[{"age_range":"various","clothing":{},"face":"Solemn, determined.","hair":"","hands":"Holding candles.","pose":"Standing in vigil, protesting.","position":"crowds"}],"setting":{"architecture":"","background":"Victoria Park, Tiananmen Square.","lighting":"Night and day shots.","location":"Hong Kong and Beijing (archival)"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":705,"speech":"resisting a much more powerful China in the struggle for their own democracy and identity.","visual":{"action":"An aerial shot shows a massive crowd of people holding lit candles, filling several large sections of a park at night.","colors":{"dominant":"black","palette":["black","yellow","orange","dark green"]},"composition":{"angle":"high-angle, aerial","focus":"The vastness of the vigil.","framing":"extreme wide shot"},"mood":"Powerful, unified, solemn","objects":[{"color":"yellow","name":"candles","position":"held by crowd","state":"lit"}],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"City park with paths.","background":"Darkness, with city lights in the far distance.","lighting":"Thousands of points of candlelight.","location":"Victoria Park, Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[]}},{"t":720,"speech":"","visual":{"action":"The video's credits begin to roll on the left side of the screen, while aerial footage of Hong Kong is shown on the right.","colors":{"dominant":"dark gray","palette":["dark gray","white","blue","green","light gray"]},"composition":{"angle":"aerial","focus":"Split screen between credits and cityscape.","framing":"split screen"},"mood":"Concluding, reflective","objects":[],"people":[],"setting":{"architecture":"Dense modern skyscrapers.","background":"The harbor and surrounding hills.","lighting":"Daylight.","location":"Hong Kong"},"text_on_screen":[{"content":"Video by JOHNNY HARRIS","location":"left panel","style":"white text"},{"content":"Producer CHRISTINA THORNELL","location":"left panel","style":"white text"},{"content":"Story Editor MONA LALWANI","location":"left panel","style":"white text"}]}}],"created_at":"2026-04-11 18:31:37","processed_at":"2026-04-11 18:36:16","view_count":1,"thumbnail":"/data/videos/7204c393-9970-4845-9a47-955aaa1d2071/thumbnail.jpg","video":"/data/videos/7204c393-9970-4845-9a47-955aaa1d2071/web.mp4","urls":{"page":"/v/china-is-erasing-its-border-with-hong-kong","api":"/api/v1/videos/china-is-erasing-its-border-with-hong-kong","timeline_file":"/data/videos/7204c393-9970-4845-9a47-955aaa1d2071/timeline.json"}}