Mr. Shangkong | Chinese race to be person of the year is about money, politics and freedom
In race for Person of the Year gong, the Chinese candidates represent contrasting sides of society
What do President Xi Jinping, Alibaba's Jack Ma Yun and Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung share in common? Congratulations! All three are now officially finalists for the US magazine Time's annual "Person of the Year" competition.
Time now allows readers to vote online as Xi, Ma and Wong are just the three Chinese nationals among 50 "Person of the Year" finalists from all over the world this year.
Wong, 18, who has recently been on the cover of Time and is widely considered the face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, is clearly the most controversial finalist, compared with Ma and Xi.
If you check mainland social media platforms like Sina Weibo, you will find Wong has been labelled a traitor, American spy, gangster, or worse. But in Hong Kong, he is widely recognised for his passion in fighting for freedom and democracy, not only for the Occupy protests but also for the movement against Beijing's efforts to brainwash Hong Kong students in 2012.
In my view, the three picks by Time reflect the very different thinking and ideology of Chinese society, which is generally getting more divided rather than united under Xi's leadership.
People [in China] just choose to believe in different things - money, power or ... freedom
People just choose to believe in different things - money, power or the long-awaited "Chinese dream" by some, if not the entire nation, for freedom.