For Freedom: A Hong Kong Family’s Stories in the UK

On 1 July 2020, the UK Prime Minister announced that in light of the Chinese Government’s violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK Government would offer all Hong Kong British Nationality (Overseas) (BNO) holders, who were born in Hong Kong under the British rule before 1 July 1997, a path to become British citizens. As of November 2022, more than 150,600 BNO Visa applications were received. According to the UK Government’s survey in January 2022, some 60% of the BNO Visa applicants have children.

Many families with young children are uprooting their beloved homes in Hong Kong for a new life in the UK. Many Hong Kong children are joining schools in different British cities and towns. Many British children start to have new classmates coming from Hong Kong.

COOTL (Citizen of Our Time Learning Hub) have published this storybook about a Hong Kong family newly arriving in the UK, with the following aims.
• To facilitate Hong Kong families and their children to tell their new friends in the UK a bit about the Hong Kong situation and culture.
• To give British children an introduction about their Hong Kong children friends.
• To help overseas Hong Kong parents introduce to their younger children the unique situation and culture of Hong Kong.