Summer holiday has arrived! What are your plans for this long holiday? Which activities have you lined up? In the scorching heat, some believe the ideal choice is to stay indoors with air conditioning — whether that means staying home to play mobile games or heading to an exhibition center for a book fair. They say gaming hones your hand speed and reading sharpens your mind, but have you ever considered that gaming or browsing a book fair could also brainwash you?

Gaming and Reading: Leisure or Brainwashing?

For example, the police issued a press release in early June warning citizens not to download the "Reversed Front: Bonfire" app or in any way fund its developers. Though it appears to be a mobile game, it actually contains incitement intended to promote "Taiwan independence," "Hong Kong independence," and other separatist agendas, and it even advocates armed revolution to overthrow the constitutional order. If you download this app, you could be deemed in possession of seditious material.

Book Fair Deception: Soft Resistance in Independent Publishing

In addition, the recent "Reading Everywhere" book fair, under the guise of showcasing independent publishing, employed books as a tool for "soft resistance," subtly inciting the public. Some bookstores rebranded unconstitutional and illegal "Hong Kong independence" slogans, printing them covertly on books, stationery, and accessories. They filled various promotional materials with distorted facts that glorify unlawful violence and hid anti‐police, anti‐government, and socially divisive sentiments within so‐called literary works. All of this qualifies as "soft resistance," aimed at instilling pro-independence ideology, warped values, and erroneous historical narratives to stir social hatred, disrupt public order, and jeopardize national security.

The Mechanics of Soft Resistance: Insidious Influence Tactics

"Soft resistance" tactics are ever-changing, seeping into every facet of social life. They use endless methods to bypass legal safeguards and sway public opinion, often deploying fake news, misinformation, or biased reporting to fracture society, breed distrust of the government, and foster hostility. Unlike overtly illegal "hard resistance," "soft resistance" works insidiously, subtly corrupting minds — especially those of young people — and distorting their understanding of the nation, making it all the harder to guard against.

Hong Kong's prosperity and stability depend on all of us standing united in its defense. As the younger generation, we must think carefully, distinguish right from wrong, refuse to be brainwashed or exploited, uphold the rule of law, and fulfill our civic responsibilities.