Enter the classroom and chat with Taiwanese high school students about "Hong Kong and Taiwan / Social Movement / Writing"

With the change of the new syllabus, there are multiple elective courses in high schools. Teacher Zhang Daoqi planned "Reporting Literature" for the whole school year, training high school students to interview "people in Taiwan and Hong Kong". In one of the classes, he asked me to share his experience. Exactly this morning.

why me? Because in June 2019, I didn't have much preparation, so I rushed to Hong Kong to do an interview . This kind of "unprofessional reporter" experience might be helpful to the same "unprofessional" high school students.

But when it comes to why I went to Hong Kong for an interview, I have to mention my experience in participating in social movements. When I mentioned how to increase the willingness to be interviewed, I took out a photo and said, "We want the protesters in Hong Kong to be interviewed, so to show that we are friendly to the struggle, we decided to wear this dress. Do you know what this is?"

I went on to say, "This is the clothes commonly known as the 'Sunflower Student Movement'. At that time, a group of people went to occupy the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan. This jacket was also printed at that time, and the slogan on it was 'Your own country saves yourself'. Because at that time Hong Kong was I have often communicated with activists in Taiwan, guessing that if we dress like this, we will appear more friendly. The occupation started on March 18, and it happens to be the eighth anniversary today.”

Zhang Daoqi asked the students, "How old were you then?"

"Eight years old."

I asked, "Do you have any impressions? Did you see the news at that time?"

They said, "I didn't understand it at the time, but I learned later."

OK, let me explain.

At that time, there were many social movements in Taiwan, and there were also many college students and young people involved. We participated in social movements in Taiwan, and we saw the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Later, when we saw the anti-extradition movement, we naturally wanted to participate.

But what we can do on the spot with several bodies is very limited, so I decided to do some interviews and questionnaires. I wanted to do some research at first, and then I wrote a report. Actually, I'm not a professional journalist, but I can write and have received academic training. You ask, "Am I a social activist or an interviewer?" It's a really good question.

I am a participant first, and I am still a participant in interviewing, but the position has changed, and the priority of the code of conduct has also changed. The important thing is that you try to understand, know what you are doing, and then accept that you are doing it. thing.

The most curious questions of the students are still "Why are you so brave?" "Why did you go?" In fact, I have answers at every stage, but the answers are never-ending.

I'm not good at saying some lofty things while holding a microphone, and I don't think I have any qualifications to be a teacher and can teach others, but this kind of simple "Why participate in action?" "Why do you want to go to the scene to record? Watch the news. Wouldn't it be alright?" Waiting for the doubts, suddenly a memory popped out in my mind, which was something that I hadn't thought to say before.

When I was in college, I heard a teacher at the school called Liao Benquan. He participated in environmental movements and often interacted with students. Once he gave a speech, explaining that something very unjust happened at that time. In the end, his classmates also asked him, "What should we do?" Said he would bet that the next generation, the young people in the future, could make society a little more equal.

I said, maybe it's not what you do on the street, but you take this course. Under the system of higher education, you still choose to take this reportage literature course. Maybe you can write, maybe you like articles, or you like "people". Then treat the interviewee well, write seriously, and write a report. I am not a professional journalist. In this era, everyone can write open content, which is a power of interpretation. Why do we still need to take classes, read other people's reports, and practice interviewing people over and over again? Tons of videos, pictures, articles... You have to be careful with your power.

When it was over I thought to myself, I'm twenty-nine and you are sixteen. We will grow old and you will grow old. It's been a long time since I talked like this, I haven't thought of having this top for a long time, I haven't watched the film made at that time for a long time, and I haven't answered this kind of question for a long time. But in fact, in any situation, do what to do. No matter how bad you are, after all, you are on this stage.

This is (only) a high school podium, and it's small and big. On this stage, after all, I have become old, preached, idealized, and simplified many things, just like I have heard some speeches that I disapprove or have no impression of before. But what this encounter can catalyze may take eight or ten years to be verified, and the witnesses may not be us anymore.

"Why do you have to face it when you know it's violence?" a classmate asked after class.

"We cannot eliminate violence, but we can deal with the 'fear of violence'."

"You said that there is violence in personal experience, what is that?"

"Actually, the family, school, and further education may be a set of violence to people, but the degree and form are different. Some violence, you will know that you must stand up to resist, or, in these experiences, you can learn to resist fear."

Classmates in high school uniforms and masks walked past me "So everyone has experienced this."

Sixteen has the suffering of sixteen, and the depth of that suffering. And I can only say this for now.

There may indeed be a gap between age and location, but hopefully in different universes, our spirits can meet.