On their first date in 2011, Jay Pang took Vicky Choi out for tofu pudding at a snack shop famous for the sweet treat in Tai Po, the neighbourhood where he grew up. They married two years later, and Ms. Choi nurtured dreams of having a pair of children with Mr. Pang. On Saturday, the couple returned to the same snack shop. The pudding hasn’t changed, but their family plans have. They no longer want children, a decision they made in the midst of protests that have beset the city since 2014.
In Hong Kong at the moment, “it’s hard to see a future for kids,” Mr. Pang said, as he and Ms. Choi retreated from riot police advancing in Tai Po amid the latest round of confrontation with authorities. For Mr. Pang, the decision not to have children was sealed on Sept. 28, 2014, the day protesters outside the Hong Kong government complex were hit by tear gas and pepper spray, a use of force that shocked the city — although it has been followed by more violent scenes, particularly in the past few weeks.
In Hong Kong at the moment, “it’s hard to see a future for kids,” Mr. Pang said, as he and Ms. Choi retreated from riot police advancing in Tai Po amid the latest round of confrontation with authorities. For Mr. Pang, the decision not to have children was sealed on Sept. 28, 2014, the day protesters outside the Hong Kong government complex were hit by tear gas and pepper spray, a use of force that shocked the city — although it has been followed by more violent scenes, particularly in the past few weeks.
