Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist is Now Being Called the ‘Real Mulan’

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy activist Agnes Chow just earned a new nickname after many supporters started calling her the “real Mulan” following the news of her arrest.

Arrest and support: The 23-year-old activist received outpouring of support from fellow activists after she was arrested on Monday along with 10 other people, including freelance journalist Wilson Li and Apple Daily founder and media mogul Jimmy Lai, according to BBC.

Chow and the other arrested activists and media figures were detained on suspicion of “colluding with foreign forces.”
They were taken under Hong Kong’s new national security law passed by China that extends the authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into the city to investigate, prosecute and punish those who are considered a threat to national security.
If found guilty of the allegations, Chow can face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
After news of her arrest broke out, many supporters took to social media to voice their support for Chow and used the hashtag #FreeAgnes, BBC reported.
“I would say that it’s very obvious that the regime and the government are using the national security law to suppress political dissidents,” Chow told reporters after being bailed.
“Arrested four times, this is the most terrifying. But even in the police station, I can still hear from my lawyers the love and concern everyone has for me,” Chow said in her Facebook. “The road [ahead] is tough. Take care of yourselves.”
Chow, who is also fluent in Japanese, also found support from other people in Japan, such as politicians, writers and actors, Channel News Asia reported.

Mulan and other monikers: Supporters of the movement had described Chow as the “real Mulan” for demonstrating her bravery, as what some of them said.

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Mulan, an ancient Chinese legend, features a story of a woman who disguised herself as a man to fight for her family and country. The legend reached international attention after Disney made an animated film about her in 1998. The studio has also created a live-action adaptation of her story that will soon be released on Disney+.
Meanwhile, Chow also earned the moniker “Goddess of Democracy” among her Japanese followers.

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Who is Agnes Chow: Chow was born on Dec. 3, 1996, according to her Twitter bio.

She grew up in an apolitical household and was inspired to become an activist at 15 years old after seeing the growing number of young people asking for change, most notably the 2012 protest against the plan to introduce “moral and national education” in schools, The Guardian reported.
Chow later became the spokeswoman for the Scholarism student activist group where she met Joshua Wong.
Chow, along with Wong and Nathan Law, another activist, created the pro-democracy youth party Demosisto after the 79-day “umbrella movement” protest in 2014.
In 2018, Chow gave up her British citizenship to run in a local election. However, her nomination was rejected by officials citing her support for “self-determination” of Hong Kong as the reason.
Chow and Wong were detained during the mass protest last year against the controversial extradition bill.

Feature Image via AFP

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