Unlikely protest leader taking a novel approach

When literature lover Alex Chow Yong-kang arrived at the University of Hong Kong to study arts three years ago, he did not imagine himself leading a protest like the overnight sit-in on Chater Road on July 1, or the citywide student strike that will begin in two weeks.

Yet his activism in fact stems from his love of novels - especially those of prominent writer Liu Yichang, who inspired a Wong Kar-wai film.

"One of Liu's novels was about the 1967 riots," said the 24-year-old secretary general of the Federation of Students.

"It so vividly portrayed the fear that was drowning society at that time," he said, referring to the violence that spilled into Hong Kong from the Cultural Revolution as extremists planted bombs in the streets to protest against the colonial government.

"For the first time I felt that words were so powerful; able to make one relive the past."

Chow chose to study comparative literature and sociology, also volunteering for the Youth Literary Awards and the university's current-affairs publication Undergrad.