He went from rags to riches before his anti-communist newspaper fell foul of security forces. Now Lai’s plight tells of a city forced to live in the shadow of Xi’s authoritarian China
t was not the first time in his long and eventful career that media mogul Jimmy Lai became the story, and it wouldn’t be the last. But it was certainly the most dramatic. On 10 August 2020, about 200 police officers frogmarched 72-year-old Lai out of the offices of his embattled newspaper,, as they conducted a raid on the publication, which had vigorously supported Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.
Lai’s imprisonment has been condemned by international observers and human rights groups. His case is not just about the crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong. It is also the story of how the city’s once unique, uproarious spirit was quieted in the shadow of Xi Jinping’s, which brooks no dissent, even at the cost of political and economic pain.
He soon found work on the floor of a garment factory, eventually becoming a manager. As Hong Kong’s economy boomed, so did Lai’s fortune, which grew to new heights through the success of his own hugely popular clothing brand, Giordano. Lai made a reported $280m from the sale, and strode into a media market that was hungry for gossip while full of foreboding about what the forthcoming handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule would do to the city’s identity. Having already angered Beijing more than once, Lai knew what the handover might do to his fortunes as well. But he was “willing to be martyred for the cause”, says Gluckman. “And he believed 100% that it was worthwhile.
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