In 2014, two large social movements emerged in East Asia – the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan and the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Both movements were sparked and sustained by youth and their frustration with the social, economic and political status quo in each society. In this second part of our three-part series on political engagement, we continue our investigation into recent events in the region and explore how East Asia’s youth have overcome their ‘allergy’ to political participation.
In episode four of The Youth Element we examine why political activism among youth in Taiwan and Hong Kong is growing, and how young people are making their voices heard through these new channels of political engagement. First, we discuss how young activists in both places have moved off the streets and into the formal political process. We also dig deeper into how some of the leading activists became engaged in mainstream politics through the creation of new political parties and by participating in local elections. Then, we discuss the gap in political attitudes between youth and their parents, as well as the crossover between pop culture and activism.
Additional Reading:
General
- Brian Hioe, A Changed Hong Kong and Taiwan One Year After the Umbrella and Sunflower Movement, New Bloom Magazine, September 30, 2015.
- Grace Tsoi, Today’s Hong Kong, Tomorrow’s Taiwan, Foreign Policy, August 19, 2014.
- Katharine H.S. Moon, Paul Park, and Maeve Whelan-Wuest, Youth & Politics in East Asia, Brookings Institutiton, June 30, 2016.
- Shirley Lin, Sunflowers and Umbrellas: Government Responses to Student-led Protests in Taiwan and Hong Kong, The ASAN Forum, December 10, 2015.
Taiwan
- Agence France Press, One Year On: Impact of ‘Sunflower’ Movement Protests in Taiwan Continues to Blossom, South China Morning Post, March 17, 2015.
- Cindy Sui, Will the Sunflower Movement change Taiwan?, BBC News, April 9, 2014.
- Jonathan Sullivan, The Battle for Taiwan's Soul: The 2016 Presidential Election, The National Interest, May 3, 2015.
- Linda van der Horst, The Rise of Taiwan’s ‘Third Force’, The Diplomat, January 6, 2016.
- Kensaku Ihara, Young People Emerging as Third Political Force in Taiwan, Nikkei Asian Review, June 20, 2016.
- Thomas Chan, Angel Liu, Frances Sit, The Force Awakened: Rise of Small Parties in Taiwan’s Politics, Varsity, January 30, 2016.
Hong Kong
- Chloe Kwan and Stanley Lam, Hong Kong Youth Pin Hopes on Localism, Varsity, November 2, 2016.
- Justin Kwan, A Student’s Perspective on Political Developments in Hong Kong, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, October 5, 2016.
- Miriam Berger, A 15-Step Guide To Understanding Why Hong Kong Has Erupted In Protest, Buzzfeed News, September 29, 2014.
- Richard C. Bush, Hong Kong: Examining the Impact of the “Umbrella Movement”, Brookings Institution, December 3, 2014.
- Suzanne Pepper, The Kids Are Alright: Hong Kong’s Latest Elections Are Proof the Umbrella Movement Did Not Fail, Hong Kong Free Press, September 11, 2016.
- Time Staff, Youthquake: Hong Kong's New Political Generation in a Round-Table Conversation with TIME, Time Magazine, October 6, 2016.
