One death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic — the Hong Kong protests.

The COVID-19 outbreak seems to encompass 85% of most countries’ media outlets. For reference, for every 7 New York Times articles I see about COVID, there are maybe 1 or 2 about other current events. This is because the entire world feels the financial, social, and personal effects of nation-led quarantines, enforced business closures, and the thousands upon thousands of losses.

However, what about the political catastrophes that only affect a particular city? A single country?

“One death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.” That exact tragedy ensued last November in Hong Kong.

In the U.S., I’m Chinese.

In China, I’m American.

But in Hong Kong, I was a “Mainlander” because I looked like one.

Only when I was with my WBB circle, surrounded by other international students, would I be able to physically stand out in the Hong Kong crowd. In the hole-in-the-wall restaurants of Hong Kong, speaking Mandarin was the only way I’d be understood. But the side glances and hushed gossip did not go unnoticed. I should have listened.

In November, the protests escalated significantly. The one year I had the privilege of being a HKUST student was the same year a fellow schoolmate, Chow Tsz-lok, died less than a mile away from my dorm from a clash with the HKPF. Tear gas and burnt rubber from cars lit in despair, fury, and frustration filled my bedroom. For a period of time, all the students in the dorm building would gather on the fifth floor — where we had the clearest view of our surrounding neighborhood — and watch the students in black yell for their city, their futures, and their independence.

One Saturday morning, my friends and I decided to explore Tsim Sha Tsui. We knew that weekend protests always became the most violent, but we didn’t expect them to start so early. As protesters in black started gathering and yelling around us, I looked at my friends in a panic.

“I can’t be caught here. I won’t be allowed back in China to see my family. Please, we have to leave. NOW.”

Some of the international students actively participated in the protests. To be honest, I would have loved to. My interactions with local pro-protest HKUST students could only be in class and through WhatsApp. Something that Westerners didn’t understand about the…