My Take | The real Truman Show of a BN(O)er and his family
- From an ultraliberal school in Taiwan to a British state school full of bullies and thugs, a Hongkonger has documented on YouTube their experiences as they escaped from Hong Kong and back while journeying through two foreign places
The local YouTube channel “yansamliving” (珍心活) has acquired some notoriety in recent months not because its subject matter is particularly controversial, but because its messages seem to challenge the conventional narratives of both the “blue” (pro-China) and the “yellow” (anti-government/pro-democracy) camps.
He earned praise when he first emigrated more than two years ago as he and his wife and two children left for Taiwan. After two years, they moved to Britain. But as he started relating difficulties they faced in both places and decided to move back to the city, his “yellow” fans began to round on him.
Their controversy, which has attracted a lot of commentaries in the Hong Kong mainstream media, was what got me watching his channel. It’s part of an anecdotal reverse migration as more people find home is where Hong Kong is.
But I ended up being fascinated by his children’s educational experience.
The guy is so chatty you feel like he is talking to you as a friend. As a parent, I can relate to his experience.
In Taiwan, his two children attended a primary and secondary school where the teaching method consisted of a good deal of farming, camping, building and bricklaying, along with the more conventional science and language classes.
