Emily Fung

School has been a constant in Emily Fung’s life. Back in Hong Kong, she was a secondary school teacher of Chinese language, literature, and history. After the Handover in 1997, she added Putonghua as one of the subjects she regularly taught. For a long time, Emily was consumed by her work and was, in her telling, a bona fide member of the “in-the-clouds” middle class. In 2010, she decided to take a break from work. It was then that she began to pay more attention to the injustice in Hong Kong as well as how she could align her faith with her concerns for the city’s social issues.

Emily was inspired by the idealism of Dr. Chan Kin-man, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, and Rev. Chu Yiu-ming, the Occupy Central trio. During the Umbrella Movement, Emily was an active supporter. She participated in prayer groups and helped ferry supplies and necessities to the protestors, and she was a member of a volunteer group that prepared food during the protest. Emily was in Wan Chai purchasing water for the protestors when the police started to fire tear gas at them. Although she was deeply dismayed by how the government responded to the protests, Emily was touched by the “splendor of human nature” she observed throughout the Movement.

Emily decided to leave Hong Kong because she had developed a strong sense of helplessness. Her initial thought was to immigrate to Taiwan, but her desire to attend worship in Cantonese ultimately led her to Canada, where she found a welcoming community and a supportive church.

During the on-going protests against the extradition bill, Emily has maintained her support for the protestors through prayers as well as attending local rallies. For her, the turnout of over two million people was a miracle and a demonstration that, despite the apparent powerlessness that has plagued Hong Kong, despair will not last forever. As in the story of Harry Potter, the darkness associated with Lord Voldemort will eventually come to an end.

25 June 2019

Emily Fung was a secondary school teacher of Chinese language, literature, and history in Hong Kong before settling in Vancouver.

移居溫哥華前，Emily Fung 是一名從「離地」到「貼地」的中文教師，一直在香港的中學汲汲營營任教了二十年中文和中國歷史。親歷雨傘運動後，她終於對政府死心，決定移民他方展開新生活，最後選擇落戶溫哥華。不過，距離和時差無阻她對故鄉的關注和支持。

主權移交前本來只教授中文及歷史的她，為著未來發展，在主權移交後，也開始任教普通話。與此同時，她也先後進修碩士課程和教育文憑。日夜忙碌的生活令她無暇關注社會時事，亦成為自己口中的「離地中產」，關心自身生活前途多於社會問題。不過她同時也體諒香港生活逼人，要大家從營營役役的生活中抽身關注社會需要時間。後來，雨傘運動和天主教信仰令她拾起對身邊人事的關心。

雖然沒有直接參與佔中行動，Emily 受到戴耀廷教授為大眾的無私付出而感動，所以也漸漸關注和認同佔中計劃。她參加了六月尾罷課期間在金鐘一系列的公民教育講座。警方首次施放催淚彈之時，她碰巧不在現場，得以幸免。儘管時而在現場、時而在家，她一直都有密切關注事態發展，並受雨傘運動參加者所表現的人性光輝深深打動。她在運動期間也有捐贈物資，當中所見到的香港人形象並不如之前印象中這樣現實和功利。

可惜的是，她不覺得掌權者會回應和接納香港人的訴求，學生和掌權者的對話也不會有成果。這不單是因為當權者的權力並非民賦，制度上沒有監督的效果，另一原因是這些虛偽的人並不意識到實現民主對香港的國際大都會地位有甚麼重要意義，反而更樂於把香港從世界舞台上拉下。

社交媒體亦是雨傘運動中的一重要推手。藉著迅速散播資訊，民眾能接收各方信息並自行分析、判斷。Emily 也透過社交媒體加入了送餐到金鐘的義工團體。

雨傘運動完結後，Emily 更對香港政府死心，認為不是民選的政府不會關心人民死活。與此同時，她看到公民社會的力量，也看到神賦予人才能和分辨善惡的能力。可惜的是，對現實的無力感促使她產生移民的念頭。她先利用學生身份的優勢去了解和適應溫哥華的生活，然後再決定是否定居。而當中選擇溫哥華的一個關鍵因素就是粵語彌撒所帶來的親切感。

自反送中運動爆發以來，Emily 比雨傘運動時流了更多眼淚，因為她並不能親身到現場支持，只能在遠方為香港禱告和參與溫哥華的聲援集會。她更覺得一百萬、二百萬人的遊行是神蹟。雖然她認為當權者不會良心發現，但她依然祈求神能軟化他們的內心。幸好，香港的國際化令香港免於暴力鎮壓之虞。這次反送中運動的其中一大成果是西方民主國家已經看清經濟發展並不能撼動專制政權，反送中運動亦比雨傘運動引發了更大迴響。儘管前路艱辛，她寄望抗爭者能堅持下去，直到天亮的一天。「每一個雞蛋都是寶貴的。」

2019年6月25日

Emily Fung 在移居溫哥華前是一名教師，任教中國語文、文學、歷史和普通話。