mathiasboelinger
For a Free Future | Young Hong Kongers Rise Up | DW | 2019
After months of demonstrations, Hong Kong’s protest movement has grown to the point where almost a quarter of the population has flooded the streets. At the outbreak of the upheaval, DW met up with17-year-old Zack Ho, who was in the middle of his final exams. But Hong Kong’s future is so important to him that he was spending most of his time on the street.
Zack, a high school student, is one of hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers taking to the streets to protest against a proposed extradition bill. It’s highly controversial because it would increase Beijing’s influence in the Special Administrative Region. Anyone who caused trouble here could be extradited to mainland China. Compared to the rest of China, Hong Kong has greater political autonomy and its residents enjoy more freedoms. And Zack Ho says things should stay that way. While the Hong Kong government has now put the extradition bill on hold and its leader, Carrie Lam, has even issued a public apology, the demonstrators still aren’t satisfied. They’re demanding that Lam resign and the extradition bill be withdrawn entirely. A report by Mathias Bölinger and Phoebe Kong.
We met Zack again half a year later. Here’s what has changed for him in in these 6 months that have transformed Hong Kong: https://p.dw.com/p/3WYyy
Flight MH370: Five years of uncertainty | DW | 2019
Five years ago flight MH370, bound for Beijing, disappeared from radar screens. To this day no one knows what happened to the plane or where its wreckage is to be found. Jiang Hui’s mother was on board. He’s fighting for the investigation to resume.
Bicycle comeback in Beijing? | Chinas shared bikes | DW | 2018
Beijing was once filled with bicycles. But as prosperity grew, those who could swapped their bikes for automobiles. Now bike-share systems have hit the scene. Will two-wheeled transportation soon rule the roads in China’s capital once again?
China’s mass internment of Muslims | DW | 2018
The UN accuses China of detaining a million Uighurs, Kazakhs and people from other Muslim minorities in the region of Xinjiang. Most have not been accused of anything let alone sentenced. Detainees are forced to learn Mandarin and sing songs praising the Communist Party. Those who fail to subject themselves to political and cultural indoctrination are punished. Mathias Bölinger accompanied Khairat Samarkhan, a former Kazakh detainee trying to build up a life for himself who is also trying to get others out.
Tough play | China’s female pro gamers | DW | 2018
Alice Zhang is living her dream. She earns money playing computer games. But to survive in China’s booming gaming scene you have to keep winning, and attract sponsors. And, in this male-dominated industry, that’s far from easy.
Child trafficking in China | A mother is searching for her son | DW | 2018
Tan Jingjing from China is convinced her son was sold to traffickers by her ex-husband. She’s been searching for him for three years; by now he would be five. She hasn’t received any help from the authorities. But there is a glimmer of hope.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Rooftopping | Climbing high in Shanghai | DW | 2017
Rooftopper Jason Huang spends his weekends scaling Shanghai’s rooftops. Getting past the guards at skyscraper entrances is no easy feat either.
Concubine Hunter | Tracking down adulterers | DW | 2017
Twenty years ago, Zhang Yufen found out that her husband was having an affair – and divorced him. After that, Zhang became China’s first female private detective – usually tracking down wealthy men who cheat on their wives.
Cameroon: Binam’s Music business threatened by piracy | DW | 2015
Ruben Binam’s passion is music. He is a pianist. Like most Cameroonian musicians, he is facing the challenge of making a living, as music is mostly sold on counterfeited disks in the markets. Ruben’s answer has been to become a producer and find ways to distribute music legally.
German Jewish Cultural Heritage in Shanghai | DW | 2012
Sonja Mühlberger was born in Shanghai, where her parents had found refuge from the Nazi regime. The city of her childhood has changed dramatically. And yet she can still find traces of the old, Jewish Shanghai.