Both veteran Marxists who have spent decades campaigning for Hong Kong democracy, Chan Po-ying (陳寶瑩) and Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄) viewed marriage as something of a patriarchal and unnecessary institution.
However, when China’s crackdown on Hong Kong dissidents came for Leung, 63, they finally tied the knot.
The couple have been together for 45 years and are two of the most prominent faces on Hong Kong’s left, campaigning first against colonial Britain and then China’s rule.
Over the years Leung — better known by his sobriquet “Long Hair” (長毛) — has been in and out of prison on short sentences for his protest activity.
Last week he was among a group of dissidents sentenced to 18 months for organizing an “unlawful protest.”
However, it was the sudden imposition last year of a National Security Law — which carries up to life in prison — that finally pushed them to wed.
“We never thought we needed to get married until long-term imprisonment came right in our faces,” Chan, 63, told reporters from the office of the League of Social Democrats, an opposition party that she and Leung helped found in 2006.
“It was the National Security Law that propelled us to make up our mind,” she said.
As a married couple, the pair would have greater prison and court visitation rights should one of them be detained long term, they said.
National security police came for Leung in early January. He was among dozens of opposition figures arrested on charges of “subversion” for organizing an unofficial primary last year to decide who would run in local elections.
Chan and Leung wed soon after, but spent just 40 days together as newlyweds.
Leung was charged with subversion alongside 46 others, most of whom have been denied bail.
Since then, Chan has spent her days shuffling between detention centers, the courts and their office.
As a democracy advocate with her own long history of campaigning, she balks at being known as “Long Hair’s wife.”
“I think I am more than that,” she said.
Born into a middle-class Hong Kong family, Chan abandoned a potentially comfortable life to pursue opposition politics, founding grassroots feminist organizations.
However, she feels a sense of responsibility to continue advocating for Leung and others like him.
“As a family member who can sit through all his trials, I think I have the more privileged position to speak up about his cases and the impact of the National Security Law,” she said.
The legislation is part of a double-edged sword that Beijing has used to quash dissent in Hong Kong since the territory was convulsed by months of democracy protests in 2019.
The other side is a campaign dubbed “patriots ruling Hong Kong,” where critics of Beijing are being weeded out by political vetting and public office bans.
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