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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 4d

Beware of how this language is used to excuse the failures of some and punish the successes of others.

In HK, the gov’t has arrested people calling for boycotts and instructed all departments to make natsec their top concern, resulting in the harassment and intimidation of pro-democracy businesses.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 4d

Dried mango has been my go-to ever since my dragon boat team in HK recommended it as a fast-digesting pre-race snack. Cannot go wrong 👌

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 5d

They must mean improve reality in order to improve the narrative

Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️ @chenchenzhang.net · 11d

even though I have an entire research programme on the kind of binary narrative exemplified by the post (China this "the west" that, I even have a forthcoming book on it), at this point I find it extremely boring. and social media is horrible. bc this kind of stuff guarantees virality.

X post: One interesting difference I've noticed between the West and China, that few speak about, is the difference in approach when it comes to narrative management.

To a large extent the West's approach is to change the narrative in order to change reality, whereas China's approach is almost the opposite: change reality in order to change the narrative. It's basically materialism vs idealism.

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Reposted by Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤

samuelwa.de @samuelwa.de · 6d

“Apple made similar claims in 2019 when it removed HKMap, an app that allowed Hong Kong protesters to trace the movements of law enforcement … At the time, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke out against ‘Apple’s censorship of apps.’”

Apple pulls ICEBlock from the App Store

ICEBlock reportedly has 1.1 million users.

www.theverge.com

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 8d

#32: The Sea and Civilisation by Lincoln Paine

Encyclopaedic in scope but not in tone, Paine’s maritime history of the world can feel overwhelming. My own interest (and ability to keep up) depended on the region and time explored, but the author’s engaging writing and diligent research never waned.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 10d

Hongkongers did this in 2020 before the history museum’s permanent exhibition “Hong Kong Story” closed for an extensive revamp. Slated to take 2 years but still ongoing, many fear it will rewrite the city’s past through a “patriotic” lens — fears only deepened by the new “National Security Gallery.”

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 10d

Don’t usually have a problem with “anti-government” but it could be misleading here. We don’t have to wonder what drove the protests — they had 5 clear demands.

You could say HK’s housing is symptomatic of the system they opposed but this is just a wire piece. “Pro-democracy” might’ve been clearer.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 12d

Early in my career, I wrote a lot of “netizens say” stories. In my defence, the context was different. China’s internet was freer than it is now, and online comments were a windows on unofficial discourse. But with the state of the internet now, these stories should probably be consigned to history.

Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 12d

Some big implications for journalism, too, where reporters often mistake trending posts as a reasonable reflection of public opinion.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 12d

🤷🏿‍♂️

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 13d

Treating the gov’t as a protected group and dissent as violence against it is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.

In HK, criticism of Beijing has been recast as “inciting hatred against the central gov’t” under national security legislation introduced after the expulsion of the opposition.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 15d

#28: Dandadan S2

Season 2 felt even more unpredictable and fun than the first. Genre-fluid as ever, Dandadan nails every comedic beat, every gorgeously animated fight scene, every heartfelt moment of character growth, and all the charming slice-of-life drama in between. Tried not to binge but oops.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 16d

Just realised allpoetry.com now has AI "analysis" at the bottom of every poem and the insights are mindblowing

AI: Longfellow's The Wreck of the Hesperus is similar to his other work, such as... The Wreck of the Hesperus

AI: Moore's A Canadian Boat Song "is a song sung by Canadian boatmen"

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 17d

The funny thing about the “yacht economy” is that pro-democracy DCs called for more berths for years — there are only enough for 1/3 of HK’s boats.

Suddenly, CCP-aligned politicians are all on board now that it’s for foreign billionaires instead of locals’ access to water sports and boat ownership.

Joel Chan @kjoules.org · 17d

Hong Kong tourism secretary Rosanna Law said building berths for yachts will attract high-end tourists.
• She said tourists coming on a yacht would consume various products and services in the city, which would be beneficial to the economy

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/comp...

'Yacht economy will attract luxury tourists' - RTHK

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said building berths to accommodate luxury yachts across several l...

news.rthk.hk

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 18d

Prosecuting journalists for acquiring “unauthorised information” is common in China. Document No. 9 is a textbook example.

Last year, Article 23 also made this all-encompassing definition of “state secrets” law in HK, giving the CE authority to certify whether any materials involve state secrets.

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Reposted by Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤

Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️ @chenchenzhang.net · 18d

22yo student Zhang Yadi, an activist with 华语青年挺藏会 ChineseYouthStand4Tibet who's supposed to begin her MA study at SOAS, has been detained while visiting family in China & charged with "inciting separation" www.instagram.com/p/DOy4rwViEk...

ENG: Tara Zhang Yadi is a 22 year old student from China, who had lived in France for the past few years. She was taken from her family home by the Chinese Government on July 30th 2025 during her summer holidays, ahead of moving to London to start her masters degree at SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies) in London, with a scholarship.
FR: Tara Zhang Yadi, étudiante chinoise de 22 ans ayant vécu ces dernières années en France, a été arrêtée par les autorités chinoises le 30 juillet 2025, alors qu'elle se trouvait dans la maison familiale pour les vacances d'été. Elle devait prochainement s'installer à Londres pour commencer un master à la SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies) grâce à une bourse.

ENG: Today, it has been announced that she is being held at Changsha National Detention Centre for “inciting separation” because of her human rights work, including editing for ChineseYouthStand4Tibet.
FR: Il a été annoncé aujourd'hui qu'elle est détenue au centre de détention national de Changsha pour “incitation à la séparation”, en raison de son engagement en faveur des droits humains, et notamment pour son rôle d’éditrice à ChineseYouthStand4Tibet.

ENG: Her family and family-appointed lawyer is unable to contact or meet her, with the National Security Bureau citing “state secrets.”
She is now facing over 5 years in prison
FR: Ni sa famille ni l'avocat choisi par ses proches n'ont pu la voir et la sécurité nationale bloque tout contact sous prétexte de "secrets d'Etat."
Elle fait face maintenant à plus de 5 ans de prison

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 20d

Journalists covering the US are about to realise what those of us covering China have always known: for laws and campaigns in authoritarian society, the ambiguity is the point. That’s why authorities here target “spiritual pollution,” “historical nihilism,” “picking quarrels,” and “soft resistance.”

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 20d

President Trump said Wednesday that he is designating “antifa,” a decentralized, leftist ideology, as a terrorist organization following Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting.

Trump did not explain what specific groups would be targeted or how he would do it.

What the law says as Trump tries to designate ‘antifa’ a terrorist group

The U.S. has no legal way to designate domestic terrorist groups. Experts raised fears of political repression because “antifa” is a broad ideology, not a group.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 20d

For Americans who want a play-by-play of what an authoritarian transition looks like in the 2020s, I strongly recommend catching up on what’s been happening in national security-era Hong Kong.

One of the first shots fired in the ongoing crackdown was cancelling a comedy show for “insulting police.”

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 20d

Sounds familiar

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 23d

In the final part of my Seawise Giant series, I cover the death of what remains the biggest ship ever built.

Torn asunder by the breakers of Alang beach, it could be considered an ignoble end — but it’s an opportunity to look at the global ship breaking industry and Hong Kong’s historic role in it.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Giant, Part III: Broken on the Beach

The former Seawise Giant, the biggest ship on the planet, finally touches land again – but only by sailing headlong into its own doom.

zolimacitymag.com

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 24d

Cool.

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 27d

Solid theory but I prefer to believe it’s from pulling the oars of a boat

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · 28d

By voting down a gov’t bill for the first time, LegCo has apparently shown it is “not a rubber stamp.”

Seems more like an illustration of how pro-establishment and pro-Beijing are not interchangeable, and even the former are now sidelined in HK. Those who voted it down took their cue from Beijing.

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP @hongkongfp.com · 28d

The HK government's proposed bill to recognise same-sex partnerships has failed to pass in the Legislative Council (LegCo), with just 14 out of 86 lawmakers voting in favour. In full: buff.ly/WjX1Xeg

BREAKING: Hong Kong’s Legislative Council votes down same-sex partnerships bill

The Hong Kong government’s proposed bill to recognise same-sex partnerships has failed to pass in the Legislative Council (LegCo), with just 14 out of 86 lawmakers voting in favour. A total o…

buff.ly

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · Sep 5

Politicos might also note, though, that Seawise Giant was owned by none other than CY Tung: the ROC-aligned shipping mogul whose son and heir, Tung Chee-hwa, became HK's first Chief Executive. The Seawise Giant's story is also the story of a local political dynasty's dramatic reversal.

Part 2 here!

Hong Kong’s Ocean Giant, Part II: Sea of Fire

The formerly Hong Kong-owned Seawise Giant, the biggest ship on the planet, finally touches land again — but only by sailing headlong into its own doom.

zolimacitymag.com

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · Sep 5

So I'm protecting my peace and (mostly) ignoring politics to get back to my happy place: maritime history.

In a new 3-part series for Zolima, I look at the incredible story of Seawise Giant, the Hong Kong-owned tanker that — even decades after she was scrapped — remains the largest ship ever built.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Giant, Part I: Making a Monster

We explore the troubled legacy of the Seawise Giant, once the world’s largest ship — and one with a connection to Hong Kong.

zolimacitymag.com

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · Sep 5

US-PRC convergence takes another step forward as Washington adopts the time-honoured practice of "One Institution with Two Names" (一個機構兩塊牌子).

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Ryan Ho Kilpatrick 何松濤 @ryanhk.blue · Sep 5

A job advert for RTI that says a lot about the sorry state of journalism in Taiwan. Successful candidates are expected to do everything — planning, hosting, editing, promoting, socials, engagement reports, etc. — for just NT$48,000 a month.

That's about what I was making as a newsroom intern in HK.

Job Opening-Radio Taiwan International

Radio Taiwan International (RTI) is Taiwan`s national broadcaster that provides engaging news, audio and video features about Taiwan. RTI is a unique window into the heart and soul of Taiwan society.

www.rti.org.tw

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