Having spent 16 months in a Hong Kong jail for his role in the protests, Chan, now a National Chengchi University sociologist, had unequivocal advice for Taiwan: “Take a lesson from Hong Kong.

Just 400 miles from Hong Kong, Taiwan offered the freedoms that many Hong Kongers were used to but saw disappearing in their hometown. Hong Kongers reflect on their new lives in Taiwan.

When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule, the Bauhinia flower was chosen as the symbol of the new Chinese special administrative region.

When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule, the Bauhinia flower was chosen as the symbol of the new Chinese special administrative region.