‘It would be so boring just being a businessman,” said Jimmy Lai, as the Chinese government was tightening the noose around Hong Kong. “I want to make my life more meaningful and interesting.” That is why he had gotten himself into trouble, he said. He was loath to stand on the sidelines while others — especially young people — were being arrested and imprisoned.
Jimmy Lai is probably the most famous person in Hong Kong. He is a legendary businessman. He is a champion of liberal democracy. And he is, by his own choice, a political prisoner.