Topics · Loving the country and Hong Kong, young people are responsible
The author | Zhang Huiqing, a reporter for "Sons and Daughters of China"
Edit | South
At around 11:00 a.m. on 3 January 2022, in the conference hall of the Legislative Council Complex in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. For the first time, the national emblem of the People's Republic of China was hung above the rostrum, and the national flag and the district flag were erected below, and the oath seat stood facing the oath table, and the sunlight shone through the dome to illuminate this sacred occasion.
Here, the 90 members of the Seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will soon complete their solemn oath under the oath of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
Born in 1989, Chan Ying-hsin, a member of the All-China Youth Federation and community director of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions ("HKFTO"), is the youngest member of the new Legislative Council. On this day, she wore a white shirt, a dark gray suit, and her long curly hair hung on the side of her shoulders, dignified and beautiful.
On 3 January, members of the 7th Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held a swearing-in ceremony at the Legislative Council Complex in Hong Kong. The picture shows Chen Yingxin taking the oath
She studied Economics and Finance at the University of Hong Kong and law at the University of London. After graduating in 2014, as a member of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, she took root in Sham Shui Po District, the poorest district in Hong Kong, and was committed to caring for the grassroots and improving people's livelihood. In 2015, at the age of 25, she made a name for herself in the political arena, "upsetting" in the Sham Shui Po District Council election to defeat the senior district councillor who had been re-elected for 12 years in the Sham Shui Po District Council, and was elected as a district councillor of the Sham Shui Po District Council, affectionately known as the "little flower" of the Trade Union Federation.
In just a few years, this "little flower" has grown rapidly under the public's attention. She has spoken at the United Nations to tell the truth about the "amendment storm" black riots, and as a KOL (key opinion leader), she has told the story of Hong Kong and China on the Internet. On November 5, 2021, she represented the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions in the 2021 Legislative Council election in the New Territories Southwest Constituency, with the slogan of "Not forgetting the original heart and daring to take responsibility", with the support and high hopes of voters, she successfully became a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
During the oath-taking session, Chen Yingxin spoke firmly and with a loud voice: "I, Chen Yingxin, sincerely, declare and confirm in accordance with the facts that I am a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and I will certainly support the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, be loyal to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, be loyal to my duties, abide by the law, be honest and honest, and serve the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region." ”
In the conference hall, 90 different voices sounded in turn, condensing into the same attitude - heart for the country, heart for Hong Kong.
The swearing-in of parliamentarians is a glorious moment and the beginning of a test. With the implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereinafter referred to as the "Hong Kong National Security Law") and the establishment of the new Legislative Council, Hong Kong has achieved the transformation from chaos to governance and is entering good governance and good governance, and the practice of "one country, two systems" is back on track.
Chen Yingxin is well aware that the responsibility and mission she and the new Hong Kong Legislative Council members will shoulder will be to fully implement the "patriots govern Hong Kong" and write a new chapter in hong Kong's democratic practice.
"I hope that my candidacy will inspire more young people to strive for the construction of Hong Kong"
19 December 2021 is the election day of the seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This is the first Legislative Council election to be held after the improvement of the election system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is of great significance to the future development of Hong Kong. Some media said, "This is a new day for Hong Kong, a new day for the SAR, and a new day for the cause of 'one country, two systems.'"
On this day, candidates were publicizing on the streets, floats were paraded across Hong Kong, and all sectors of society called on the public to vote enthusiastically, and the election atmosphere was extremely strong. To facilitate the public's outing, a number of transport routes in Hong Kong, including the MTR, franchised buses and trams, have issued notices for free rides on the day of voting. People feel the pulse of Hong Kong's democratic process and look forward to good governance in Hong Kong.
As usual, at about 6 o'clock in the morning, Chen Yingxin and the team ran to various street stations to solicit tickets. She wears a rose red sweatshirt, sneakers on her feet, and a sincere and kind smile. "The first Legislative Council election after the implementation of Hong Kong's National Security Law and the improvement of the electoral system is very different from the atmosphere of my 2019 candidacy for the Sham Shui Po District Council. At that time, the 'black riots' on the streets of Hong Kong were raging, and now, we can solicit votes in a safe and fair situation, and the citizens also have the courage to cheer me up on the streets, which makes me more confident and motivated. ”
Chan solicited votes for the 7th Legislative Council elections of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
More than a month earlier, Chan represented the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions in the direct election of the Southwest New Territories constituency. "As a young person, I am honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the Legislative Council elections of the HKSAR under the new electoral system. At the beginning of my candidacy, I knew it would be a very hard battle, but I wanted to show the responsibility and responsibility of young people. "Among the three election sections of the Legislative Council Election Committee of the HKSAR, the functional sector and the regional direct election, the regional direct election is undoubtedly the most "hard". The "street stations" that solicit votes for candidates are often located on crowded roads, subway entrances, squares, and under overpasses. Candidates should approach voters directly, constantly state their political platforms, and win their support.
"The slogan of my candidacy this time is 'Don't forget your original intention, dare to take responsibility', and the Parliament needs to inject new thinking to create a new situation for the reconstruction of Hong Kong." All along, Chen Yingxin has been adhering to the purpose of participating in politics and labor of the Federation of Trade Unions, and insists on serving the grassroots. Her candidacy concept and political platform are centered on the well-being of the citizens, and can unite forces to provide advice for Hong Kong, focus on resolving deep-seated social contradictions, and actively promote the improvement of the economy, people's livelihood, epidemic prevention, youth development and other work, so that citizens of different classes have opportunities for circulation in their studies, employment and property purchase issues, bring new changes, new directions and new vitality, and promote Hong Kong's integration into the overall situation of national development.
During the election, in order to solicit votes, Chen Yingxin and her team began to make street stations at about 6 o'clock in the morning every day, and went door to door after 8 p.m., often until two o'clock in the morning. In addition to offline canvassing, Chen Yingxin used her Youtube platform to make online appeals in the form of short videos and live broadcasts, and received positive feedback from fans.
Talking about the bits and pieces during the election, Chen Yingxin's heart was full of gratitude. She still remembers that team member Ge Zhaoyuan walked all over Tsuen Wan despite his foot injury, "pounced" with everyone and mobilized voters to vote; she also remembered that the voters who heard their voices hoarse due to fatigue went to several street stations to bring her monk fruit and throat lozenge... She is well aware that this is her support and trust, and also the expectation of the Hong Kong people for the implementation of "patriots governing Hong Kong" and promoting good governance and good governance after many tests such as social unrest and the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
In December 2021, Chen Yingxin spoke at the New Territories Southwest Regional Direct Election Forum
After months of fighting, on 20 December 2021, all 90 seats of the 7th Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were elected. Among the 90 successfully elected legislators this time, there are scholars, religious figures, "Hong Kong drifters", and corporate executives... The composition of personnel is diverse, which can be described as "colorful". Chen Yingxin is among them.
In Chen Yingxin's view, it is the perfect election system that can give young people like her the opportunity to make their voices heard in the chamber. "As young people who can run for election and be elected to the new Legislative Council, it can be seen that the parliament elected after improving the electoral system can achieve wider representation and more balanced participation." The promulgation and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law has enabled Hong Kong society to be governed by chaos and governance, and how to govern and rejuvenate requires the joint efforts of diverse politicians. I hope that my election will make more young people willing to fight for the construction of Hong Kong, and I also hope that more young people will be willing to participate in politics and work together based on the well-being of Hong Kong citizens. ”
A Legislative Council that can solve Hong Kong's economic and people's livelihood problems will become the "largest concentric circle" for Hong Kong's 7 million citizens and 90 legislators-elect.
"The election of the new Legislative Council marks that Hong Kong will enter a new era of deliberation, democracy and change are no longer just empty slogans, but allow a group of patriotic deliberators to focus on resolving deep-seated contradictions in society, achieving good governance and good governance, and better embodying the original intention of taking the people as the center and seeking the well-being of the people." In terms of position, we are all patriotic and hong Kong lovers, which is the bottom line that cannot be doubted; but on the political platform, I have different opinions from other legislators, and look forward to future exchanges and collisions of ideas to jointly find a solution to the Hong Kong issue. Chen Yingxin said.
"Community work has chosen me, citizens have chosen me"
Sham Shui Po is located in the northwest of Hong Kong's Kowloon Peninsula, only about four kilometres from Tsim Sha Tsui. Once hong kong's earliest developed area, it is now the poorest place in Hong Kong.
For Chen Yingxin, who was born in Hong Kong's most prosperous area, Hong Kong Island, until she went to university, she rarely "crossed the sea" to Kowloon, let alone expected that she would take root in Sham Shui Po in the future, deeply cultivate community work, and thus embark on the road to politics.
Chen Yingxin said that she was "the third generation of the Federation of Trade Unions", and her grandfather and father had worked as volunteers in the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions. Since its establishment in 1948, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the largest labour organization in Hong Kong, has been fully involved in political, social and labour affairs in the spirit of "keeping pace with Hong Kong and uniting with the grassroots", providing diversified welfare services to its members and citizens.
In the process of growing up, Chen Yingxin inherited from her father's generation not only the responsibility and mission of loving the country and Hong Kong, but also the enthusiasm and responsibility of contributing to the society. As early as middle school, she actively volunteered in the community and participated in NGO organization activities. During her university years, she took advantage of the summer practice opportunity to go deep into various districts of Hong Kong to engage in community service.
In October 2021, Chan YingXin (first from left) helps households solve water pipe problems in Kwai Chung
During the summer vacation of 2011, Chen Yingxin and her classmates went deep into Sham Shui Po for the first time to visit grassroots families. Here, for the first time in her life, she saw the "subdivided house".
Subdivided housing, a type of rental house in Hong Kong, is an ordinary residential unit that is divided into no less than two smaller independent units, and the tenants are usually grassroots people and new arrival families. Chen Yingxin still remembers that there is a family of three, living in less than 20 square meters of space, parents and children live in single beds and bottom bunks. Children can only do homework on a small table on the bed, and the TV set is placed on the refrigerator.
This visit greatly touched Chen Yingxin. Since then, she and her classmates often buy some rice, canned food and daily necessities, visit the community residents, "chat with them, understand their needs, and do as much as they can." As she visited, she gradually built trust with the families, and residents began to open their hearts and talk about the difficulties they encountered in life and their ideas about community service. "Their trust and sharing is the driving force for me to continue to persevere."
In Chen Yingxin's view, "the key to governing the government lies in the safety of the people, and the way to reassure the people lies in detecting their sufferings." Since 2008, she has studied a degree in Economics and Finance at the University of Hong Kong and then pursued a Law degree at the University of London. After graduation, many students chose to work in large banks or well-known foreign-funded enterprises in the core areas of Central and Admiralty, but Chan Yingxin chose to join the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions as a community officer, rooted in Sham Shui Po District, closely observed the life of grass-roots citizens, and helped them solve difficulties. At that time, she was running around the community almost every day at a pace from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
When asked how to view her choice at that time, Chen Yingxin admitted frankly, "It is not so much that I chose community work, but that community work chose me, and the citizens chose me." It was with the choice and support of the public that in 2015, 25-year-old Chan Ying-hsin participated in the Sham Shui Po District Council's Leg Court constituency election, and with a difference of 2531 votes to 2432 votes and 99 votes, successfully defeated the senior district councillor who had been re-elected in the district for 12 years, becoming the youngest district councillor in Sham Shui Po District.
Since his election as a district councillor, this petite trade union association "little flower" has continuously released "big energy" to serve the community. With determination and perseverance, she injected new vitality into the old district and insisted on serving the neighbors with the concept of "patriotism and love for Hong Kong". She walks into the community every day, listens attentively to the needs of residents, and effectively solves the problems of the community.
Built in the 1980s and 1990s, Sham Shui Po Lai Court Estate and Lai On Estate are one of the key tasks of community service to address the problems of aging houses and outdated equipment. "At that time, some residents lived in old houses for more than 30 years because the water pressure was too low, they could not install gas stoves, and they could only bathe in cold water in winter."
After learning about this situation, Chen Yingxin immediately carried out a series of actions in the community: drafting questionnaires, collecting neighborhood signatures, contacting professional departments to submit specific investigation reports, initiating petition actions, and convening residents' meetings... Despite encountering a lot of resistance in the process, she successfully won the addition of a central pressure pump for the residents through continuous follow-up, and completely solved the problem of water difficulties for high-rise users in 17 communities.
As the poorest of Hong Kong's 18 districts, Sham Shui Po has a higher proportion of elderly people than other districts. Chen Yingxin remembers that once, she and her team went to visit an elderly person living alone. In the homes of the elderly, the beds and ceilings are full of wooden lice, and "between talking with the elderly, the wooden lice fall from the ceiling from time to time." After that visit, Chen Yingxin led the team to immediately promote the relevant government departments to help the elderly living alone clean up the psyllids and send them love. Since then, she has had another title - "Lice Wang Xin".
The youthful and energetic image and the conscientious work attitude have allowed Chen Yingxin to gain a large number of "fans". Some residents do not forget to give her a bowl when they cook soup; some residents will bring her a souvenir when they go out on a trip, which makes her feel warm and feel the responsibility on her shoulders.
In October 2021, Chan Ying-hsin (first from left) and team member Ge Siu-yuen (first from right) canvassed for the 7th Legislative Council election of the HKSAR on the Tsuen Wan Flyover
Today, her identity has changed, and her original intention of serving the community and running to improve people's livelihood has not changed. "There are currently 100,000 subdivided buildings in Hong Kong, with more than 226,000 people living." After many years, the experience of seeing the subdivided house for the first time still makes Chen Yingxin remember it vividly. She often visits subdivided houses to help grassroots citizens solve the problem of applying for public housing. "I believe that helping citizens say goodbye to subdivided houses is an urgent problem to be solved in the future, whether it is a politician or a member of the Legislative Council." As a member of the Legislative Council from the grassroots level, she will continue to be close to public opinion, pay attention to people's livelihood issues such as housing, urge the SAR Government to enhance the efficiency of governance, and contribute to the improvement of people's livelihood.
"Tell the story of China well, tell the story of Hong Kong well"
"For a period of time, affected by various complicated internal and external factors, the 'anti-China and chaotic Hong Kong' activities were rampant, and the situation in Hong Kong once appeared grim." Seeing this sentence in the "Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party's Century-Long Struggle," Chen Yingxin's feelings, like many Hong Kong citizens, could not help but feel deeply.
During the "Amendment Storm" in 2019, Chen Yingxin once again ran for re-election to the District Council and sought re-election. However, due to her insistence on expressing the political opinion of "patriotism and love for Hong Kong", she and her team have been repeatedly insulted, attacked and even threatened with death by "black rioters". In the face of this, Chen Yingxin did not flinch, although she was not successfully re-elected, but after the end of the 2019 district council election, she opened up another service platform - the internet, through shooting videos to publish the Internet, to expose to the world the evil deeds of external forces and anti-China chaos in Hong Kong.
"When the 'black riots' were rampant, I found that anti-China and chaotic Hong Kong elements instigated violence through the Internet, and some young people were lost by listening to their voices. So I decided to stand at the forefront of the Internet, on the one hand, to encourage more patriotic people to stand up; on the other hand, to let the patriotic voice of love for Hong Kong be heard by more people. Chen Yingxin said.
Since then, Chen Yingxin has set up her own YouTube channel, regularly posting current affairs comments in the form of short videos to explain social hotspots to Hong Kong citizens and let more people understand the truth about society. From the "Five Eyes Alliance" to the elaboration of the positive role of the Hong Kong National Security Law, her works focus on the present, go deep and simple, catch people's attention, and are deeply loved by the audience. Today, she has become a well-known KOL (Key Opinion Leader) in Hong Kong, with nearly 300,000 YouTube followers.
In November 2021, Chan Ying-hsin (first from left) held a KOL meet-up at Shek Mun in Sha Tin
In 2021, Chen Yingxin, who responds to social concerns and dares to speak out, will bring the voice of justice from the online platform to the United Nations. At the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March, she spoke online as a youth representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. For about 90 seconds, she struggled to tell the truth to the Western world, fighting back against smear and prejudice.
"We see that the camera is only pointing in one direction, to create the illusion of brutality of the Hong Kong police." "Contrary to the frequent distorted reports of the Western media, the Hong Kong National Security Law not only restores the rule of law and order in Hong Kong, but also protects the human rights of Hong Kong people."
In her speech, she specifically mentioned the experience of Hong Kong entrepreneur Wu Shuqing. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019, Ms Ng Shu-ching told the truth about the situation in Hong Kong. Afterwards, Ms. Wu and her family business were verbally abused by 'black rioters' and systematically attacked violently. I hope that the Western media and politicians will put aside their arrogance and prejudice against China, put down their double standards, and look at China and Hong Kong correctly. ”
At the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2021, Chan made an online speech as a youth representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
After the speech, netizens left messages on Chen Yingxin's self-media platform to express support and encouragement. Among them, a blogger named Lin Ethics posted that Chen Yingxin's speech on behalf of Hong Kong citizens at the United Nations video conference was highly praised, representing the voice of patriotic citizens, letting the world understand the real situation of the "black riot" incident in Hong Kong, rehabilitating Hong Kong, and cracking down on the smear and rumor-mongering of Hong Kong by anti-China forces. Chen Yingxin's efforts to safeguard Hong Kong's international reputation are touching, and it is very gratifying to let the world know the truth!
"It's a real honour to speak on the UN platform. I received a lot of encouragement and that was the biggest gain. At the same time, I feel that the country values our younger generation and gives us the opportunity. This will motivate me to continue to speak out on different platforms, to speak the true voice of Hong Kong youth, and to tell the story of China. Chen Yingxin said.
It was also in the month of the speech that the central government intervened to improve Hong Kong's election system, and Hong Kong entered the era of "patriots governing Hong Kong." In Chen Yingxin's memory, the relevant central departments held 66 forums in Hong Kong on three consecutive days to listen to the opinions and suggestions of people from all walks of life, and she had the honor of being invited to attend.
At the forum, Chen Yingxin felt that "the central government is very concerned about the deep-seated contradictions in Hong Kong's economy and society and is determined to help Hong Kong solve problems." She pointed out that the most important thing in improving the election system this time is to eliminate political internal friction and improve the disparity between the rich and the poor.
Daniel Zhang, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, responded to her suggestion. Daniel Zhang said: "Hong Kong's 7.5 million people, there are 1 million poor citizens, this is unacceptable. 90 million people in the mainland have successfully lifted themselves out of poverty, and Hong Kong can do the same. ”
This encouraged Chen Yingxin: "This improvement of the electoral system has brought not only political stability to Hong Kong, but also an improvement in people's livelihood. She hopes that through her own perspective, more people can understand the transformation of Hong Kong after the implementation of hong Kong's national security law and the improvement of the election system.
"In the future, I will continue to operate a new media platform to explain the work of parliament to the public, so that the work of the parliament will become more transparent, so that the citizens will be more aware of and willing to participate in it." This will help us hear more of the citizens' voices, thus making the work more 'grounded'. Chen Yingxin said.
"Let everyone have a house to live in, everyone has security, everyone has a chance"
Chen Yingxin, who is petite in stature and has a sweet smile, has a personality that does not accept defeat and does not give up. In middle school, she lost her life in the United Kingdom, and won 12 A's in the local examination, so she won a scholarship; she loved sports, such as table tennis, pitching, football, badminton, and dragon boat climbing. In 2000, when 11-year-old Chen Yingxin watched the Sydney Olympic Games, she regarded Chinese table tennis player Wang Nan as her first idol in life, "even in the face of adversity, she always faces it with a smile." I hope that when I grow up, I can contribute to the country like her."
Engaged in regional work for many years, she has always adhered to the belief of the Federation of Trade Unions of "participating in politics for labor", inheriting the perseverance of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions from generation to generation to work for workers and grassroots workers, and serving the public with heart. At the same time, as a member of the All-China Youth Federation, she is very concerned about the growth of young people.
Chan Ying-hsin (first from right) was interviewed by the media after being elected to the Seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
"After experiencing the dark days of the 'black riots' in Hong Kong in 2019, the speculators trying to seize power, and paralyzing the parliament, coupled with the double blow of the epidemic, many citizens once felt angry and helpless. With the promulgation of the Hong Kong National Security Law by the central authorities and the leading improvement of the electoral system, Hong Kong society and parliament have been able to put an end to the chaos and see hope again. Chen Yingxin believes that today, with social stability and economic recovery, Hong Kong has ushered in a bright future. She suggested that "Young people in Hong Kong should not wait for opportunities, but should have the courage to take the first step in their careers."
She has expressed her views on how Hong Kong youth can better integrate into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. She believes that young people in Hong Kong who have already developed in the Greater Bay Area and have made some achievements can use new media to produce films and pictures to share their experiences, so that Young People in Hong Kong can have a better understanding of the Greater Bay Area, so as to encourage them to go to the Greater Bay Area for development. "There are so many cities in the Greater Bay Area, 9+2, each city has its own characteristics, I think there can be more information on this to young people, so that they can decide which city to go to according to their interests and their own strengths."
She gave an example. When I was doing community service in Tsuen Wan, I met a group of young people who loved to dance. "In Hong Kong, dancing for a living is really difficult, but with so much room for growth in the Greater Bay Area, you may find opportunities to do what you love." If they succeed, it will definitely enhance their sense of happiness and gain. ”
She has repeatedly stressed her responsibility and responsibility as a young person in Hong Kong, "I hope that more young people in Hong Kong will understand that we are all members of the ship 'Hong Kong'." Together, we should show the courage to ride the wind and waves, and use what we have learned to escort Hong Kong."
Creating growth opportunities for young people is one of the priorities for Chan Yingxin, as a member of the Legislative Council, to be implemented in the future. "My goal is 'for everyone to have a house to live in, for everyone to have security, for everyone to have a chance'. After that, it will focus on solving the gap between the rich and the poor, the retirement security of the elderly, promoting the improvement of social welfare, and creating more opportunities for young people. ”
At present, the work of the new parliamentarians has been officially launched. Chen Yingxin admits that there is really pressure, but pressure is also the driving force. She hopes that she can "not forget her original intention and dare to take responsibility", "on the one hand, inherit the first and start the future, continue the fine traditions of the predecessors of the Federation of Trade Unions, go deep into the region, and work solidly; on the other hand, when facing changes, she can also dare to seek changes and keep up with the pace of the times." "She said that she will continue to make good use of the self-media platform to publicize the new face and responsibility of legislative council members." In the future, we will work harder and continue to tell the story of China, the story of Hong Kong, and the story of the Legislative Council. ”