A citywide student boycott of classes is currently being threatened to protest against Beijing’s recent decision on Hong Kong’s electoral reforms. I’m a foreigner here and all I want to say is: I wish Hong Kong well.
When the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, Kaifeng, was attacked by the Jurchens in 1127, Chen Dong (1086-1127) was a student at the Imperial University. Furious that the generals Zhong Shidao and Li Gang had been dismissed by Emperor Qinzong, who favoured peace talks, Chen led several dozen fellow students to the palace gate to petition against the dismissals. They beat the petition drum and shouted slogans and soon a crowd gathered.
Just like in Hong Kong some nine centuries later, there were conflicting estimates of the crowd’s size – from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. The government, alarmed by the occupiers, relented and the generals were rein stated. But when the Northern Song capital was overrun later that year the court fled across the Yangtze River and set up the Southern Song dynasty.
Chen, as vocal as before, petitioned the new Emperor Gaozong about recovering lost lands and dismissing corrupt officials. However, when his attacks got too close to the bone, Gaozong had Chen executed and hung his decapitated head from the top of the city gate.