Form 5 Student founded Shatin community magazine Shatin Martin: “I want people to remember the movement” 

Interview by Inmedia HK, March 2020

Time flies -- the Anti-Extradition Movement since last June has already lasted more than half a year. The Wuhan Pneumonia swept through Hong Kong and society has been busy fighting the epidemic, so the Movement appeared to have calmed down a bit. Some people have come up with novel ideas in the hopes of keeping the passion of the Movement alive, or to find a new direction to carry on. Last month, a community magazine called “Shatin Martin” was launched in the Shatin district. Its design is simple, but the sincerity is on full display. The magazine features information about the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement, the District Council election, and recommendations of "yellow" businesses (the colour yellow symbolizing businesses that support the movement). Its founder is a Form 5 student, Oscar, merely 16 years old, nicknamed "Sir Lau the Bald". He spoke frankly, "The reason for starting this magazine is to ensure people remember this Movement so it won't end."

Inspired by another local community magazine

Growing up in Shatin, Oscar said that he has been following current affairs since primary school, even actively participating in memorials for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests since he was young. The stereotypical expectation that society has of a 16 year-old teenager is “study well and don’t cause so much trouble”. Yet, when the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement began more than half-a-year ago, teenagers have been forced to mature. There was not a single hint of child-like naivety coming from Oscar.

Like many of his peers, Oscar has wholeheartedly participated in the Movement since June. Aside from taking part in the students’ strike concern group in his school, he also joined local publicity groups in his community and participated in peaceful, rational, non-violent protests inside New Town Plaza. However, the cooling down of the Movement made him think, “How can we let more people know about and follow this Movement?”

Then one day, he went to eat at a “yellow” restaurant in Tsuen Wan and saw a community magazine called “Tsuen News Machine” which contained information about the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement. He thought that this was a novel way of promoting the Movement, and thought Shatin could start its own community magazine as well. This gave him the idea of founding Shatin Martin. Together with a group of like-minded neighbours, the magazine was born.

Oscar named the magazine after a local children’s baseball team called “Sha Tin Martins”, formed by children from grassroots families in Shatin, to commemorate the team’s win in a tournament.

Tough Beginning and Conflicts with Family

It is a tough task to initiate any project from scratch. Although they had the most sincere intentions, the editorial team soon realised that things were not as simple as they thought. 

Most of the team members did not have the relevant experience. As the Chinese idiom goes, they were “crossing the river by feeling the stones”, essentially taking a trial-and-error approach to writing articles and formatting. Oscar said they could only use Microsoft word processing software because they did not know how to typeset. He was also worried about using photos from the internet, which may lead to copyright issues. They have fewer than 10 members on the editorial team. Everyone has a huge workload. He complained jokingly that editing was an excruciating task, as everything needs to be thoroughly checked at least three times. "It feels like I am actively looking for extra work and trouble for myself."

Funding is another issue. With so few members on the team and not much money, they could barely afford to print hard copies. Oscar said that in the end, he managed to get some sponsorship from his friends and made 30 copies. He hung them at each corner of the New Town Plaza atrium for the public to read. “The rest I kept as part of my private collection.”

Working on Shatin Martin also further strained Oscar's relationship with his family. He said he had a big fight with his family because he joined the students’ strike concern group during the Movement. His family criticized the protesters for “telling lies upon lies”, and that “protesters were messing up Hong Kong again”. He did not want more conflicts at home, so he kept his work a secret from his family. He had to manage all the editorial work late at night under dim lighting, sometimes even working at the park to avoid disturbing his family's sleep. They did eventually find out about the magazine, and scolded him asking, “Are you done playing around?" and "When will you get back to studying?”

Improving but no time to relax 

Oscar visited the Shatin District Councillors’ office hoping to ask for more contributors, but was surprised to get more - on top of getting a sponsorship to print hard copies, some district councillors also advertised for him on their Facebook page, and put the magazine in the office for people to read. 

Overnight, Shatin Martin's Telegram channel grew from a mere 6 subscribers to over 700 people subscribing. He received a lot of positive feedback complimenting his team for “being so passionate”, and that ‘the articles were of high quality”. Some members of the public approached them, wanting to volunteer. The editorial team was “overjoyed for a few days” from the positive response. Though he felt a great sense of satisfaction, he did not dare to relax. After the excitement, he told himself “it’s time to carry on working!” He wanted to improve his work even further. 

Hoping the magazine will “sustain”

As Shatin Martin slowly matures, it is Oscar’s hope that the magazine will have a sustainable future. Apart from creating an Instagram account, they also make sure the topics for every issue stay connected to current affairs. For example, this issue may be on the District Council election, and the next issue will be about combating the Wuhan Pneumonia epidemic. They will also give recommendations of recreational or dining businesses within the Yellow Economic Circle. “You will die if all you think of is politics. We need to enjoy foods and drinks and have fun as well.” His hope is that people will read Shatin Martin regardless of their stance, thereby “connecting people from different walks of life”. 

Oscar also mentioned that the magazine may change its business model in the future, “maybe charge readers or sell advertisement.” He continued, “We cannot just ask $500 from the District Councillors for every issue". Also, the editorial team will need to make a living. As a Form 5 student, he will be taking the public examination next year. He is worried that he will have to stop running the magazine. It is his wish to maintain both his studies and the magazine. If he cannot make it work, he said, “There is nothing that I can do about it.”

The fight against the pandemic is still ongoing; the Movement still has a long way to go. Oscar wants to tell all Hong Kongers that “Liberate Hong Kong, the Revolution of Our Time” is more than just a slogan; every one of us needs to live it out. While the Wuhan Pneumonia is still raging through the whole world, police brutality still exists. He hopes that people will not forget the anger and continue to fight on.

Original article and photos: https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1071259

Shatin Martin Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hkshatinmartin/