Grandpa Chan Pleads Not Guilty in Displaying Calligraphy

Chan with Lu Xun's couplet on the summit of Lion Rock

Even after the national security law was implemented in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022, some people dared to continue to resist and are paying the price.

One of them is Chan Ki-kau, who is best known as "Grandpa Chan", who during the 2019 protests banded with other people, mostly seniors in a group called Protect Our Kids to act as a buffer between the protesters and the police.

Chan in a scene in Revolution of Our Times

He usually wore a homemade red headgear, swimming goggles and a yellow florescent vest as he walked the streets during skirmishes. Many of the front-line protesters were concerned about Grandpa Chan's wellbeing and tried to make sure he and his colleagues were safe, as shown in documentaries like Revolution of Our Times.

Although the street protests ended, Chan continued practicing his own brand of resistance. 

On September 28, 2023, he stood on the summit of Lion Rock in Kowloon and held a pair of Chinese couplets originally penned by writer Lu Xun. They read: "Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers. Head bowed like a willing ox, I serve the children."

Chan was arrested in early October that year, and then in February 2024 was charged with breaching country park regulations because he had displayed the banners without permission. Offenders face a maximum penalty of a HK$2,000 fine and three months in jail.

Many seniors wanted to protect protesters

On Friday Chan appeared at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court for a pre-trial hearing, and pleaded not guilty. The trial will begin at the end of September.

First we're impressed he climbed up Lion Rock, and second, what is wrong with displaying calligraphy?