The Chinese version of this interview was conducted by Leung Ho Yee and was published on inmediahk.net on May 29, 2023. The following English version is published on Global Voices under a content-sharing agreement. Zunzi held his umbrella in the rain and stood by the waterfront of Victoria Harbour. The scene was similar to his comic character, Councilor Mr What, bidding farewell to the readers in his last comic published on Ming Pao, a renowned local Chinese newspaper. I repeatedly apologized that he had to take the photos in the rain, but Zunzi said, “A rainy and misty Victoria Harbour is a proper portrait of current Hong Kong.” Councilor Mr What is the most long-lived comic character among all fictional political figures that Zunzi has created. He appeared in the local newspapers for 40 years until the recent ban. Zunzi took the disappearance of the red-nose Councilor Mr What calmly. “Losing the newspaper’s column is not such a big deal compared to losing two years of freedom.” After the National Security Law was enacted in 2020, many political dissidents were jailed. The most well-known is the 47 pro-democracy activists case, which is now on trial. Most of them have been denied bail and have spent two years in prison. Zuni emphasised that he still had other work to accomplish, like compiling a book on Hong Kong comic history: All histories, whether it's street photography or any other special topics, are pathways for us to understand our place and construct our identity. These are the things that we have to cherish. I asked Zunzi how he managed to draw political comics for 40 years. He pondered and said: Well … I guess I just want to express my opinion. A sense of responsibility to submit the manuscript before the deadline as much as possible … Of course, it is also because this job is meaningful, not just to earn a salary, but to help you understand society and the world. You get a lot of things out of it. Not many jobs have such opportunities. A satirical cartoon on the crackdown of 2019 pro-democracy protests. The then Chief Executive Carrie Lam liked to emphasise her role as a mother. Zunzi/Apple Daily. Public domain. From a young age, Zunzi's world has been one of comics and politics. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, when there were no TV stations, both adults and children loved to read comics, and Zunzi read a variety of comics from local, Western and Japanese cartoonists. Zunzi grew up in a family of eight living in public housing. His parents, who came to Hong Kong from mainland China, were not well educated, but they knew the importance of education and sent him to an elite local high school. Inspired by his art teacher, Zunzi later enrolled in the Chinese University of Hong Kong art department. His university years were near the end of the Cultural Revolution, and there were a lot of political discussions on campus: There were a lot of debates about the future of China. While the teachers would not discuss these in the classrooms, students debated among themselves and enrolled in all sorts of activities. It was an eye-opening experience for me. Zunzi’s political awakening took place when he was even younger. His family lived in a district where the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions was across the street. He was exposed to the Maoist personality cult and political culture. Of course, Zunzi was too young to make sense of all these at that time. But as he grew up, he was more aware of the impact of art on society. Hence, in addition to learning art techniques at the CUHK, he joined the New Asia College Student Council. He was in charge of creating wall posters and illustrations and watching others debate on political issues around the clock. His first job after graduation was teaching, but he quit after one year as he could not find time and inspiration from the routine work. Later he went to teach night school and joined Ming Pao in 1981. It was a time when Hong Kong's cultural scene suddenly boomed: the city’s Arts Center was opened, a new Cantonese movie genre emerged in the local cinema, and vanguard cultural and political magazines were sold in the kiosks. Zunzi was invited to write and draw comics for some publications on Hong Kong's social issues. At that time, people were most concerned about the future of Hong Kong. A few months later, Zunzi started a comic column in Ming Pao. In 1983, he invented Councilor Mr What, who is a pro-establishment figure. He said: “This is how satire works. You have to find something to laugh at.” He did not anticipate that the fictional character would survive for 40 years. Councilor Mr What. Image via inmediahk.net During his peak, he had a dozen regular columns in local newspapers and magazines.