At a City That's No Longer Home

The project documents the Yu family last months in Hong Kong, before they emigrated to Britain. The twins are the glue of the Yu family. They were born in 2014, during the Umbrella Movement, another tumultuous period in Hong Kong’s history. The idea that the Yu’s family would one day leave Hong Kong was unthinkable. Like other parents in Hong Kong, the Yus had qualms about the highly competitive education system. They had originally planned to send the twins abroad to complete high school. But that plan was fast-tracked in 2020 when Beijing imposed a controversial national security legislation in the city, which included an emphasis on “patriotic education”. It was at this time that the Yu’s made the life-changing decision to emigrate to Britain, hoping for a better life in a country none of them had ever been to. The Yus know they will not find the same work or level of pay in Britain. However, the uncertainty ahead is still more reassuring than the bleak outlook they have for Hong Kong. In their last few months in their home city, the twins were very excited for their new life. Meanwhile, the government continued its relentless political crackdown on many facets of life. These chilling developments only vindicated Yu’s decision to leave even further, especially for the sake of the twins. There is nothing that can make them stay in this place anymore. This city is no longer resembling what they know as their home.