Hong Kong student mocks Mandarin classes with ‘confession’

A Hong Kong Baptist University student punished for taking part in protests against required Mandarin classes has posted a mock confession, offering an apology to the institution and the Chinese Communist Party.

William Liu Wai-lim “mocked the university’s policy on Mandarin proficiency as a bid to please the mainland authorities”, the South China Morning Post reported.

In January, the environmental science undergraduate and other students “besieged the language centre office in protest against the university’s requirement for all students to take a Mandarin course or pass a proficiency test”, the newspaper said.

In response, the university said that he must write a letter of apology and carry out 20 hours of community service.

Mainland China’s influence in Hong Kong universities is a frequent subject of controversy.

Mr Liu’s “confession”, written in simplified Chinese, was posted on the institution’s “democracy wall” – sites for protest posters at Hong Kong universities.

The message was topped with a banner that read: “Surrendering to the party, the nation, the people, and the language centre. My Confession.”

Mr Liu’s message said that he would “repent for the mistakes he had done” and learn “the series of speeches by general secretary Xi Jinping” and would adopt “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” to “remould” his thoughts.

The university told the SCMP that it would not comment.

john.morgan@timeshigherducation.com