Hong Kong protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong takes on a life of its own, translated and performed in sign language

It’s become the song of Hong Kong’s summer of protest, and a producer working with its composer says the reason is simple: its martial beat

Several versions have been posted online, the latest for deaf supporters, and it has been sung in shopping malls. It strengthens protest spirit, producer says

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People sing Glory to Hong Kong in a shopping mall in the city earlier this month. Crowds have gathered in several malls to sing the song, which has become the anthem of anti-government protests that have rocked Hong Kong since June. Photo: AP

Published: 1:02pm, 25 Sep 2019Updated: 8:02pm, 26 Sep 2019

Hong Kong protest anthem Glory To Hong Kong, a crowdsourced composition sung by anti-government protesters and their supporters in the streets and in shopping malls, continues to take on a life of its own.

Composed by a Hong Kong musician known simply as “Thomas” and posted online to YouTube in August, since when the original video has been viewed 2.2 million times, the song has been translated into languages including Japanese, German, and Italian and the Taiwanese Hokkien Chinese dialect.

Several other video versions have been posted online, one of them featuring the Black Blorchestra, whose members perform wearing gas masks and yellow helmets – standard gear for frontline protesters – and shrouded in smoke that evokes tear gas, which police have often used as a crowd control measure since mass protests began in June against a proposed change to extradition law.

The most recent rendition of the song gives voice to the deaf, with a performance in sign language.