What happened to lyricist Calvin Poon after leaving Hong Kong? Calvin Poon (Poon Yuen Leung) has enjoyed a long career as a prominent lyricist, scriptwriter, and filmmaker in Hong Kong. As a young lyricist growing up in the 1980s and ‘90s, Poon and his fellow artists enjoyed freedom of expression, often exercising their rights through their lyrics. However, in the years following the Umbrella Movement, Poon noticed a change in the industry. Several blacklists containing the names of musical artists appeared on Chinese social media, and one blacklist contained Poon’s name. While Poon and other lyricists continued to write anonymously under pseudonyms for a period of time, some were eventually exposed online, leading to further unrest in the industry. In addition, some record company employees began to self-censor and labeled Poon’s lyrics as “too yellow” (appearing too supportive of the Hong Kong democratic movement). Creating freely under these circumstances became increasingly difficult, leading Poon to depart Hong Kong for Taiwan. On the island, he has found new inspiration for his work. He has written many derivative works since arriving, some of which he will perform at a concert in Manchester, U.K. Poon hopes to inspire Hongkongers abroad to continue pushing for change. In his words, one day, “justice will prevail.”

• Cross-Strait Relations
• National Security Law
• Industry