Hongkongers’ struggle is an inspiration to freedom-loving people around the world. Hong Kong was a British colony for over 150 years until the British ceded the city to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. China promised Hong Kong at least fifty years of political autonomy but violated this promise shortly after the handover. Hongkongers fought back. Major protests started in 2003. Over the course of a decade and a half, these protests evolved from lawful marches led by established political figures to nonviolent civil disobedience led by students to militant uprisings led by fervent localists.