The Umbrella Movement

In September 2014, Hong Kong’s students, along with various members of the public, political and civil society groups, staged months-long protests in hopes of achieving true universal suffrage and the right to elect their own Chief Executive for the Special Administrative Region. In a territory belonging to China, an unprecedented movement has spawned, presenting the biggest challenge to Beijing since Tiananmen Square in 1989. For two months, protestors blocked major roadways by setting up camp in various parts of the city, often facing off with the police, and refusing to leave until their concessions were heard by the government of Hong Kong and China. By December, however, those prospects were looking unlikely and the tent cities were dismantled. Despite not achieving their goal, many feel there is a new political generation, lead by Hong Kong's youth who are unrestrained by the history of China's Cultural Revolution and their parents who fled it.

Nicole Tung (b. 1986) is a freelance photographer born and raised in Hong Kong. She graduated from New York University in 2009 after studying journalism and history and currently freelances for clients including The New York Times, The Sunday Times, Human Rights Watch, and The Wall Street Journal. Her work has also appeared in Vogue (UK), The Telegraph, The Global Post and other international publications. She has traveled to Bosnia and Kosovo to examine post-war reconstruction, the Thai-Burma border, Pakistan, Xinjiang in China, and has most recently covered the revolutions in Egypt and Libya, and continues documenting the Arab uprisings in 2012. Her work has been recognized and awarded by the International Photography Awards, The Maybach Foundation, Women in Photojournalism, the Hearst Foundation, the NYPPA and other organizations. She has been a part of two group exhibitions; one showcasing the documentation of the World Trade Center, and another featuring work from Kashgar with Sombra Projects at the New York Photo Festival 2010. Her work from Libya was part of group slideshows at the Prix Bayeux Photo Festival in France, and the Bursa Photo Festival in Turkey both in October 2011.