Lai Chee-Ying, also known as “Jimmy Lai,” is a successful Hong Kong entrepreneur, media mogul, and pro-democracy activist who fled to Hong Kong from mainland China as a youth. He eventually founded Apple Daily, one of the most well-read newspapers in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong transitioned from British rule to Chinese rule in 1997, basic freedoms came under attack and Lai found himself in a position to have to choose between defending Hong Kong’s long-standing liberties or his own freedom.
The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom, a riveting documentary on Lai’s plight, is coming to Atchison with a screening and panel discussion set for Thursday, March 21, at 4:00 p.m. in the McAllister Board Room on the fourth floor of Ferrell Academic Center. The event is free and open to the public. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Mark Simon, who worked with Lai and served as general manager of Apple Daily, and Joseph Cella, former U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.