Hong Kong protests: Student proposes to girlfriend in midst of Umbrella Revolution demonstrations
Yau Chi-hang, 22, got down on one knee in front of hundreds of protesters
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Two students have become engaged in the midst of demonstrations in Hong Kong while being cheered on by hundreds of fellow protesters.
Yau Chi-hang, 22, got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, 21-year-old Crystal Chan, on Sunday morning as another day of the occupation started.
She was wearing a plastic cape to defend against tear gas, and the rain, while he had protest slogans scrawled on his arm.
Photographers captured the moment as surrounding protesters in Mong Kok watched, with Chan fortunately giving a resounding “yes”.
Afterwards, the university students chanted “real universal suffrage” and “Leung Chun-ying [Hong Kong’s Chief Executive] step down,” the South China Morning Post reported.
When asked about children, they told reporters: “We hope our next generation won't have to be occupying the streets as they'll have true universal suffrage.”
The couple, who have reportedly been seeing each other for two months, plan to get married next year.
Speaking to ITV News, Yau said he had been up all night before the 7am proposal.
“To begin with, I had been thinking of proposing on the 21st,” he added.
“But then I saw there's so many people here, so why not do it today, so that everyone can be a witness to our love."
Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests have become an unlikely hotbed of romance, with newlyweds choosing them as the setting for their wedding photographs last week.
Protesters said they would lift a blockade of key Government buildings on Sunday amid fears of a police crackdown.
Talks had been planned between student leaders and the Government but protesters pulled out on Friday after clashes with police
Thousands of people are occupying several parts of Hong Kong in continued opposition to the Chinese Government’s refusal to let them select their own candidates for leadership elections in 2017, allowing only pre-approved politicians to stand.
The unpopular Beijing-backed leader of Hong Kong, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, has urged people to leave the protests, which have been declared “illegal” by China.
One of the key demands of the occupation is his immediate resignation, along with proper consultation on political reform to allow free and fair elections with universal suffrage.
The movement, dubbed the Umbrella Revolution because of the widespread use of umbrellas against tear gas and pepper spray, has sparked solidarity protests around the world.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments