季風人文講壇第89期：Mark Clifford & Frances Hui

The Price of Freedom: Jimmy Lai and the Fate of Hong Kong

自由的代價：黎智英與香港的命運

Speakers: Mark Clifford & Frances Hui

December 5, 2025, In English & Chinese

This talk centers on the new Chinese version of The Troublemaker, which traces the journey from entrepreneur to Hong Kong’s best-known political prisoner. Detained for nearly five years under the National Security Law, Lai’s case has become a symbol of the sweeping Beijing-led crackdown on Hong Kong. The speakers will discuss Lai’s ongoing trial, the broader repression facing the city, and what Lai’s story reveals about Hong Kong’s future.

About the Speakers 

Mark Clifford, Former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, Mark worked in Hong Kong for 28 years. He is the president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

Frances Hui, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at CFHK. A pro-democracy activist since age 14, she was the first Hongkonger granted asylum in the U.S. and is now wanted by the Hong Kong government with a HK$1 million bounty.

The talk was introduced by Can, a cultural organizer who previously lived in Hong Kong and contributed commentary to independent outlets, including Stand News, Citizen News, Liberty Times, and InMediaHK, focusing on the city’s political transformation and social movements.