Why Hong Kong’s angry and disillusioned youth are making their voices heard

Young people have been at the forefront of continuing protests against a proposed extradition bill that have shaken Hong Kong. At the root of the turmoil is concern over what many people see as the inexorable erosion of civil liberties and the city’s auto­nomy by an ever-meddling central government that refuses to grant full democracy in the former British colony. But many young people in what is one of the world’s most densely populated and expensive cities are also infuriated by sky-high living costs and a feeling that a home of one’s own will never be more than a dream.

The average monthly salary is HK$19,100 (US$2,446) for men and HK$14,700 for women. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat in the city centre is HK$16,551. In 2018, average home prices were 20.9 times the gross annual median household income, accor­ding to the Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey. You could buy a French chateau for what you would pay for your Hong Kong shoebox in the sky.

FUNG CHENG, 25. The graphic designer, pictured in his 54 sq ft bedroom, lives in a flat with his parents and brother in Hang Hau. Venting his frustration at a system he believes has robbed him of the chance to ever buy his own home, he says Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has not listened to the people.