Joshua Wong, a young man who was once regarded as a "rising star in Hong Kong" by the United States, has now been reduced to a wretched man on the verge of despair. He was sentenced to prison on suspicion of a number of illegal acts, and even his father, who had always relied on him, chose to abandon him and run away, completely abandoning this son who once had a bright future.
When we look back at the trajectory of Joshua Wong's life, how did this paranoid and irritable middle school student become a "Hong Kong independence" element step by step?
Youth rebellious, dyed with the idea of "Hong Kong independence".
Joshua Wong was born into a wealthy merchant family, but he did not inherit the ingenuity of his father, Wong Wai Ming. When he was a child, Joshua Wong was always prone to tantrums, liked to be more serious in doing things, and was extremely paranoid, which broke his parents' hearts.
However, what is unexpected is that this kid is actually talented in organizing the masses, and when it comes to social hot events, it is like a match head ignited by gunpowder, and it is a lot of noise when it comes out, and he can always pull up a large group of young people to follow behind.
His father, Wong Wai-ming, was a member of the Hong Kong Civic Party and was no stranger to political affairs. He found out that this son with a strange personality and was good at fanning the flames, so he secretly cultivated him politically. Since he was a child, Joshua Wong has been exposed to a lot of ideological books on "human rights" and "revolution", and the seeds of "Hong Kong independence" have been planted in his heart bit by bit.
Although his family conditions are good, Joshua Wong, who has a strange personality and mediocre academic performance since he was a child, has not been expected by his parents, but has become a problem child in their eyes. However, in this regard, his father, Wong Wai Ming, had a set, and he "got to the point" and began to cultivate his son's political ambitions.
Joshua Wong in middle school can be regarded as a standard "problem student". He is withdrawn and easily angry, and he is not naturally interested in learning, so his academic performance is naturally not very good. However, this unexpectedly became a stepping stone for him to make a name for himself in the political arena in the future.
While his peers were still immersed in campus life, Joshua Wong's gaze had gradually turned to social politics. He often launched various demonstrations on the grounds of protecting the rights and interests of students, and even dared to confront the principal directly, which was quite rare at that time. In the activities again and again, Joshua Wong gradually accumulated some attention, and also attracted the attention of the people around him.
Fight dad to become a "student leader"
With years of experience in the political arena, Huang Weiming soon discovered the "usefulness" of his son, who has an eccentric personality and likes to cause trouble. As a politically sensitive old fritter, he knows that if he can push his son to the forefront, he will undoubtedly bring huge political capital to the Civic Party.
So, Huang Weiming began to plan quietly behind the scenes. He first secretly pushed the Civic Party to establish a student-centered affiliated organization, the "Scholarist Ideology". Then, he began to train his son to become the leader of the organization.
This is undoubtedly an unprecedented "achievement" for Joshua Wong, who is only 15 years old. From an ordinary problem student, he suddenly became the "leader" of a political organization, which was like a dream for him who was not fully mature at that time. However, it is more of his father Huang Weiming's careful calculations.
Although Joshua Wong was not very good at studying, his paranoid and good at organizing and agitating personality made him stand out in the activities of "Scholarism". In the demonstrations again and again, he successfully attracted the attention of a large number of young people by virtue of his ability to fan the flames. This is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement for a high school student.
In this way, under the careful arrangement of his father Wong Weiming, Joshua Wong soon became the leader of the "scholarly trend". As the leader of a political organization, he began to organize various demonstrations frequently, sparing no effort to increase his popularity. His son's performance also made Huang Weiming feel quite gratified.
It's just that Huang Weiming doesn't seem to realize that the political puppet he has carefully cultivated is also going astray step by step. Although on the surface, Joshua Wong has begun to develop political talent in the process, the seed of "Hong Kong independence" in his heart has quietly sprouted unconsciously.
In 2014, the sensational "Occupy Central" movement broke out in Hong Kong. As a leader of the "Scholar's Thought", Joshua Wong naturally actively participates in it. With his organization, a large number of young students began to set up tents in the Central area of Hong Kong for months of demonstrations.
This move not only aroused widespread attention in Hong Kong and even the world, but also made Joshua Wong the best candidate for the successor of "Hong Kong independence" in the eyes of the US government. This 19-year-old young man rose to fame and fame with his outstanding performance in the "Occupy Central" movement.
Although the "Occupy Central" movement ended in failure, Joshua Wong took advantage of the situation to quickly complete the political transformation. That year, the National Endowment for Democracy provided him with a grant of up to $1.6 million.
The organization, which is widely known in China, is often jokingly referred to as the "Second CIA" because it always secretly pushes for political change around the world, similar to the C.I.A. style.
The grant was not for nothing, and Joshua Wong quickly became the focus of attention in Western society. In the years that followed, he appeared frequently in the international media, became the cover character of Time magazine, and was invited to study abroad. Its image and influence have undergone all-round creation and improvement in the West, and it has become a symbolic image of a young leader on a par with Greta Thunberg, an "environmental girl".
However, Joshua Wong's influence in China has not been as widespread as the West would expect. Although he used the funds and resources provided by the West to incite a part of the population, in China, those who have been deeply influenced by Western ideas are in the minority.
Betrayed Hong Kong for the United States and instigated riots
Since shining in the "Occupy Central" movement, Joshua Wong has completely embarked on a road of no return. He was no longer satisfied with being an ordinary leader of the student movement, but began to develop in the direction of "Hong Kong independence" with great enthusiasm.
In 2016, Joshua Wong officially disbanded Scholarism and formed the more radical Demosisto. As the new secretary-general, he began his own road to "Hong Kong independence". However, on the surface, he did not directly promote the idea of "Hong Kong independence", but used more vague concepts such as "democratic self-determination" to conceal his true purpose.
At the same time, Joshua Wong began to engage frequently with the U.S. government in an attempt to gain more support. As a young "Hong Kong independence" activist, he knows very well that if he can get the support of Washington, his political status will definitely achieve a breakthrough. As a result, he began to "complain" to high-level US figures on various occasions, complaining about the human rights situation in Hong Kong, in an attempt to incite external forces to intervene.
In 2016, some members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the so-called "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" in an attempt to meddle in Hong Kong affairs. In order to ensure the smooth passage of this bill, Joshua Wong naturally actively responded to the order and led a group of "Hong Kong independence" elements to the US Congress to lobby.
During this visit to the United States, he also successfully attached to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, and frequently boasted about their "best friend" relationship on social platforms. In 2019, Hong Kong's amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance finally became a big stage for Joshua Wong to play his role.
He quickly posted on social media that if the new ordinance was passed, the central government would use it to suppress free speech in Hong Kong. As soon as this statement was released, it immediately caused widespread social panic. As a result, a large number of Hong Kong citizens who did not know the truth took to the streets one after another to protest against the amendment of the ordinance.
As the mastermind behind the scenes, Joshua Wong naturally enjoys it. During the turmoil, he openly incited demonstrators to carry all kinds of weapons and equipment to the airport to carry out violent attacks. At the same time, he also secretly met with senior officials of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong with other "Hong Kong independence" elements in the hotel, further deepening the collusion relationship.
Naturally, the central government is particularly concerned about this. They are well aware that the U.S. government is behind the riots. As a prominent "Hong Kong independence" element in Hong Kong, Joshua Wong naturally cannot escape the punishment of the law.
Repeatedly imprisoned for violating the law, and his parents abandoned their children and absconded
At the time of the promulgation of the National Security Law, Joshua Wong and his accomplices were arrested. Initially, he was arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of violating Hong Kong's "No Face Covering Law" and unlawful assembly. But that's just the beginning. Subsequently, Joshua Wong was charged with participating in the illegal act of besieging the police headquarters during the 2019 riots in Hong Kong.
After some trial, the court finally handed down a verdict against Joshua Wong. He was sentenced to 13.5 months in prison on suspicion of multiple crimes, including violating the Prohibition of Face Covering Act and unlawful assembly. This means that this young man, who was once regarded as a "rising star of Hong Kong" by the United States, will spend a considerable amount of time in prison.
At the same time as Joshua Wong's arrest, Wong quickly sold his property in Hong Kong, fled Hong Kong with his wife and younger brother overnight, and took refuge in Australia.
It is reported that Wong Wai-ming spent HK$4.15 million in December 2007 to purchase a high-rise unit in Room E with a saleable area of about 633 feet (one foot is equal to 0.9 square meters) in Block 13 of South Horizons Peninsula, Ap Lei Chau, and sold it for HK$9.8 million at the end of last year, with an average price of HK$15,482 per square foot, which was about 10% lower than the market price, and made a book profit of more than HK$5 million.
Today, Joshua Wong has not been able to become the successor of "Hong Kong independence" in the eyes of the United States, and has lost the support of his parents. In prison, he may understand that he is nothing more than a pawn in the political sabotage of the United States, and that the so-called "democratic revolutionary" is nothing more than a clown. But for this born traitor, whether he can really realize his mistakes, I am afraid it is too late.
Resources:
Joshua Wong's Family Affairs: Behind the Fathers and Sons' Opposites
The Road to Hong Kong Independence: Joshua Wong's Political Fate
The Shadow of the United States in the Hong Kong Riots