had come out and said 'hey we know we promised your first fully-democratic election in 2017,

嘿，雖然我知道我已經答應你們2017年首度全面普選

but we're going to approve any of the candidates who can run.' People started protesting and

但是我們得裁決誰才可以競選。香港民眾開始抗議

then few days later, the thing that really escalated it was when Hong Kong police came

幾天後，香港警方以前所未見的方式武力鎮壓抗議群眾

out with an unprecedented level of force to crack down on the protesters, which only further

使得港人更加群情激憤

outraged a lot of people in Hong Kong, drove more people into the streets where they're

抗議情勢變得越來越嚴重，越來越多民眾

now shutting down the financial district. To understand what's really happening here,

聚集佔領著目前已經被他們癱瘓的商業區街頭。為了清楚了解香港抗議的真實情況

the larger forces at work, you have to go back to 1997. That's the year of what people

你得追溯到1997年，也就是港人所稱的

in Hong Kong call the handover, when it went from one of the last vestiges of the British

香港回歸的那一年。在那一年英國將她最後幾個殖民地之一--香港--交還給中國

Empire to part of China. As part of the handover, China promised that Hong Kong would be able

作為回歸的一部分，中國答應香港可以

to keep this really unusual level of freedom, and it would get to have these first fully-democratic

保有中國其他地區所沒有的自由，並在2017年可以有首度全面的普選

elections in 2017. It's called the One Country, Two Systems policy. So when China reneged

這也就是所謂的一國兩制政策。因此當中國

a little bit on its plan for the 2017 elections, it looked to a lot of people in Hong Kong

反悔並稍加修改2017年普選的方式時，對於大多數的港人來說

like it was the beginning of the end of One Country, Two Systems. And the thing that you

這看起來就像是一國兩制政策終結的開始。你必須得了解

have to understand is that it's about more than just democracy, although that's important.

雖說民主很重要，但是這不單單只是民不民主的問題

There's a kind of sense of Hong Kong exceptionalism. People there are much more affluent, much

重點是這還關乎港人的獨特性。港人遠較中國富裕

more worldly. They really see themselves as very distinct from the rest of China. And

也比較爭名逐利。香港人打從心底覺得他們自己遠比其他中國人眾獨特不凡

any move like this that feels like it's pulling them into the dictatorial rule of the communist

中國目前這樣的舉動會令港人覺得中國是在強拉港人回到中國共產黨的獨裁統治之下

party in China is very scary to them. And part of what really makes that so scary is

這是十分嚇人的事。而令這件事嚇人的某部分原因還有

the memory of Tiananmen Square, right, which happened in 1989 in Beijing. That memory is

發生於1989年北京的天安門事件。

much, much stronger in Hong Kong, where they hold an annual vigil every year. They're keeping

香港人對天安門事件的印象十分強烈，他們每年都會為此舉辦守夜紀念

the flame alive for their fellow Chinese who can't. So, when police started coming

為不能發聲的中國同胞延續希望的火焰。因此，當警方開始

out in force late in these protests, they thought 'hey this doesn't look like Hong Kong,

在抗議運動中武力鎮壓，港人開始想: 嘿，這不是香港處理事情的方式

this looks like Beijing.' So what you're seeing is not just a fight for, can we keep the election

這是北京處理事情的方式。於是乎，你所見到的並不只是一場單純為了2017年真普選的抗爭，

rules that we have for 2017, it's a fight for, can they stay Hong Kong or are they going

而是港人為了是否能繼續保持香港獨特性，或是

to become just like the rest of China?

成為中國的一部分的抗爭運動