Horace Chin (陳雲根) (photo provider), aka Wan Chin (陳雲), is the founding theorist of Hong Kong localism and inspiring the push for Hong Kong independence. Out of his university job, he will run for LegCo this September.
Hong Kong as a City-State, the source material for localist and independence thought of Hong Kong, has made the author, Wan Chin (陳雲) the bête-noire of the political establishment from Beijing to the HKSAR Administration to pro-China supporters since he penned it five years ago.
The graduate of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen has earned the nickname ‘國師’, which carries connotations of being a national leader-educator and was applied to the Emperor’s Chief of Staff in ancient China. Facebook friends, supporters and even his opponents (pan-democracy camp supporters and social activists) agree with this label as it applies to his relationship with followers of his vision of a utopian state.
Mr Chin deploys his verbiage with creative flair when applied to politicos in Hong Kong. He orders his opponents to ‘go to hell’ (落地獄), or likens them to Nazi oppressors who will face a comeuppance by saying ‘the Nuremberg trials are coming soon’ (紐倫堡大審判好快到). This blunt and offensive language, beyond the pale of even the most ribald Cantonese language political exchanges (see the example in our interview), has drawn comparisons with Donald Trump – but doesn’t seem to deter his followers, of which there are many.
“A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.”– Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek writer, 1885-1957)
For those towards whom he is more gently inclined, he bestows titles including ‘Princess of Chiu Ming’ (昭明公主) and ‘martyr of City-State’ (城邦忠烈公) as a means to appreciate their efforts to ‘safeguard Hong Kong interests’ through the localism movement.
The ‘Princess of Chiu Ming’, to take an example, can be literally interpreted in two parts. ‘Princess’ (公主) may refer the transgender character of Nakade Hitsujiko (中出羊子) (née Terry Chung Ming-lun ‘鍾銘麟), while ‘Chiu Ming’ (or zhao1ming2 in Mandarin) (昭明) could refer to her efforts to shine a light in the political darkness.
The ‘Martyr of City-State’, aka Wong Hung-kei (王洪基), joined the campaign team of ‘Princess of Chiu Ming’ last year and is honoured with the nickname for his active participation in the Umbrella Revolution.
“Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad.”– Euripides, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC – 406 BC)
He will run in September
Mr Chin will need to deploy all his verbal talents as he leaves academia and enters the political fray. Mr Chin, once the top advisor of Hong Kong Autonomous Movement (HKAM), founded the Hong Kong Resurgence Order (HKRO) in 2015 with a manifesto aiming to ‘restore the ancient Chinese civilisation’ (復興華夏). This year he will join LegCo member ‘Mad Dog’ Raymond Wong Yuk-man (黃毓民)-led electoral alliance, which promotes amending the Basic Law as a key element of their platform for the coming LegCo election.
“Whether Chinese Communist Party (CCP) likes it or not, Hong Kong will be an independent state on one day,” Wan Chin predicts.
They will put those political options to the real test – the voters – in the New Territories East geographical constituency, competing with fellow independence minded politicians including Edward Leung (梁天琦), the star candidate of Hong Kong Indigenous (HKI).
Find our Q&A with Wan Chin here.
