Howey Ou: It took many days of planning and soul-searching before I made the decision to stage a protest. I did a lot of online research beforehand about the climate change battle as I wanted to be fully prepared. I came up with catchy slogans and sentences — with the intention of grabbing attention and shocking passersby — and wrote them down on big boards which I took with me to City Hall on the afternoon of May 26, 2019.
My Twitter bio reads: “You can develop vaccines for COVID-19 but there is no vaccine for climate emergency.”
I was taken to a central police station where I was led into a small room and told that it would be a formal interrogation. They had papers [on hand] and a computer to record my statement. The officers asked me to cooperate and tell them everything I knew. They asked a lot of questions, like how I came to know about climate change and why I felt the need to protest every day. They also asked about the people who stopped to talk to me in the streets. They told me that “there was no need to lie.”
They lectured me and said that what I had done in front of the government buildings was illegal. Looking back, I think they probably felt threatened and wanted to stop people like me from spreading messages that speak ill of the government and the country. It was their way of controlling information and stamping out resistance. It’s all about authority. They weren’t concerned about science or the planet at all.The entire session lasted for more than an hour. It was close to midnight when I was finally released. My parents were there to pick me up and were really worried. The police officers told them not to allow me to post anything on Twitter or speak to foreigners or journalists.They also seemed to know a lot about me and even had details about my friends — that was when I knew it wasn’t an innocent chat. I finally understood that these were officers from the national security bureau and realized that it wasn’t a casual arrest.
It was a warning of things to come. We lost internet connection at home for three days and my mobile number was suspended. The interrogation continued, with police phoning my parents for several days at their workplace. The whole thing created a rift between my parents and me.Your father previously expressed concerns about your activism, saying he was afraid it would end up hurting your future.
Yes. My parents don’t feel that protests are wise and would rather that I focus on school. Ever since that happened last May, my parents and I have had intense conflicts at home. At one point, they even took away my phone and electronic devices. It was really frustrating and exhausting. I ended up leaving home for a while and wandered around the country for a few months. I visited some research centers to continue my climate change work because I felt I could not do so in an embattled home environment. I’m currently living on my own, away from them, and I’m not sure about what will come next.We also read reports that you were stopped from attending school. What’s the situation like now?
There was a lot of international media coverage about my plight and since then, my school has allowed me to return to finish my studies.
I’ve largely been operating alone to spread my messages about climate justice and don’t have the same support networks that young activists in other countries get from community movements.I’m no stranger to being silenced but my activism is often questioned. Many NGOs in China are funded by the government, they tend to be more moderate and wouldn’t aggressively challenge the government so I’ve been alienated in the local environmentalism circles and have been excluded from events and conferences about climate change in China.But I do know another Chinese climate activist named Zhao Jiaxin, and I’ve spoken with other Fridays For Future activists — but none in China. I also look to my peers as well as Chinese animal rights activists for support. They told me to ignore fears of imprisonment and gave me a lot of encouragement.Twitter is a great platform and I’ve received invaluable support from other inspiring activists from places like New Zealand and Australia and closer to home in Asia like Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It’s an amazing community, one that gives me hope and the confidence to carry on my fight.Some foreign groups and world leaders have praised the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for trying to combat climate change. Why do you say it can still do better?
Billions of people will die because of the climate crisis and world leaders aren’t doing enough or taking it seriously. Our government in China silences scientists and even resorts to hiding facts from the public, many who believe that President Xi Jinping and the CCP are doing a good job.
Take for example Chinese companies that are allowed to get away with slaughtering wildlife and destroying nature. Chinese fishing vessels are still entering protected international waters to slaughter sharks and other marine sea creatures. It shocks and infuriates me. It is a terrible ecological crime because their selfish actions only serve to accelerate the destruction of such fragile ecosystems. Worst of all, this isn’t a one-off incident, it happens a lot.China’s actions have a great global impact on the world. Whether such atrocities take place in the country or not, Chinese companies need to be held accountable and punished. We need stricter laws to protect our environment and not allow such greed to take place at the expense of our planet.But I think the bigger problem in China is widespread apathy among the public. Lots of people don’t realize that we are in the middle of a very big and dangerous climate emergency.They believe that their government is doing a good job and there are many others who still don’t care about it or believe in science. The lack of inaction and stubborn disbelief makes me very worried and angry. It can feel like I am fighting a hopeless battle.It’s wrong when politics bleeds into climate action and it’s a bigger crime when activism is silenced. And when one prioritizes money over saving the planet, you’ll find that there will be people, especially in powerful high-level positions, who refuse to see the truth.
The most vulnerable people in society are often the ones who suffer the most, namely poor farmers and fishers. I actually visited a few villages in the countryside and found it really sad and frustrating to see how their lives have been uprooted and destroyed by floods and other disasters.
I first heard about Greta on the Chinese internet when people were sharing posts about her after she skipped school to protest about climate change. It was a big talking point. Her actions resonated with me and made me want to get involved. She plays such an important role in the global fight against climate change. The world wouldn’t be having these important discussions today if it wasn’t for her voice and campaigning.
Growing up in China, I didn’t see protests in person and only managed to learn about them much later in life through the internet. That was where I read about Greta Thunberg and her movement — I wanted to be part of it.I spent hours reading up and searching, and found the movement’s official website. I saw long lists of names from different countries but none from China and wondered how that could be.
I couldn’t believe that. I was shocked and angry but at the same time, felt really determined to be part of the Fridays For Future movement. I needed to get in touch with like-minded young people in China and if there was really no one, then someone had to take the first step and responsibility to join the campaign. And that person was me.Did I want to look back on this pivotal chapter in history in 30 years time and regret not standing up and doing the right thing? How there were millions of young environmentalists out there in the world, marching for a better and safer future, but no one to fight for environmental change in China?That was what I told myself and it gave me a lot of courage.I reached out to people in the U.S. and Europe using a local study app and asked if they could connect me with activists from Greta’s movement. In 2019, I received an official invitation to join the Fridays For Future movement. I was hesitant at first because I knew that it would take up a lot of energy if I was going to do this alone and there would be great challenges. But my hope outweighed the doubts I had and I joined and haven’t looked back since.How has your activism influenced your everyday life?How can a country like China — with one of the world’s largest populations that also holds the worst carbon emissions record — not have a single young person willing to stand up and fight against climate change and the government?
I gave up meat two years ago and have been vegan for quite some time. I once dreamt that I had to kill a fish and the thought horrified me — I couldn’t go through with it. I love animals too much and strongly oppose cruelty to them, so I do not agree with industrial farm practices that exploit, torture, and slaughter them for profit. That was why I decided to give up consuming eggs and milk too. Overall, I find that a meatless diet is not only better for my health but for the environment too.