'Keep faith in love': Hong Kong mother tells her child in letter

"You are the proud child of a policeman," a Hong Kong police officer's wife told her child to be strong and always have faith in love, at a time when police and their families in the city have been the target of abuse and bullying amid the recent turmoil caused by violent protests in Hong Kong.

In a letter to her child, the mother expressed understanding and support of policemen like her husband, who have faced great physical strain working day and night and tremendous mental stress, but still do their utmost to maintain public order and protect Hong Kong residents.

The letter was read in front of hundreds of thousands of local residents who participated in a rally Saturday afternoon to support the police and call for an end to violence. 

The following is the full content of the letter.

A letter to my child

给孩子的一封信

Dear child

亲爱的孩子:

In these tumultuous times in Hong Kong, only your innocent laughter can give me a brief moment of calm and peace.

最近香港纷纷扰扰，只有听到你天真的笑声，才得到片刻开怀，夜里看着你甜甜熟睡的脸，才能有片刻安宁。

That afternoon, when you called me, crying in fear because you saw from the apartment window protesters in black passing by in the street down below, I remember telling you not to be afraid because you would be safe inside the house. What I did not tell you then was that your father's colleagues who lived in the same disciplinary forces living quarters with their families had experienced worse moments of terror. The other night, when they were on duty, the windows of their apartments were smashed and the elderly people and young children who were at home at that time huddled together and cried throughout the night. As a matter of fact, my child, many people in Hong Kong have been crying because they were afraid or sad. As I have been teaching you all along, never indulge in self-pity. Of course, there is nothing wrong to cry occasionally. But you always have to pick yourself up quickly, wipe you tears dry and live your life.

那天下午，你打电话给我，惊慌痛哭，原来是在家中窗口见到街上黑衣示威者经过大厦门口，我说不用怕，留在家中还是很安全的。我其实没有告诉你，你爸爸住在纪律部队宿舍的同事，晚上出外执勤时，家中只留下老人家和小朋友，他们家的窗也被掷破了，只得互相抱着哭，在恐慌中渡过黑夜。孩子，其实香港最近很多人都在流泪，但就如我平日教你一样，不要顾着自怜自悯，哭过后，擦擦眼泪，便得站起来。

Soon it will be time to go back to school. You may or may not know there have been many hateful messages on social media lately, threatening police officers' families with harm and even death. Yes, you know your father is a police officer and that’s a fact that won’t change. Faced with curses, threats and violence, the last thing you need is fear, because being afraid isn’t going to help. No one knows for sure whether we will be harmed or you will be bullied at school. But your father and I will always protect you as best as we can. After reading you bed time stories recently, I always added a few words of my own and I knew you understood what I meant, more or less. I said, when we are faced with difficulties, we must be stronger than usual, so that we know how to protect ourselves from the bullies who are targeting us. More important, always keep in mind that we have done nothing wrong.

很快就开学了，你可能不知道，最近网上有很多仇恨的言论，要伤害警察的家人。是的，你的爸爸是警察，这是不变的事实。面对诅咒、恐吓和暴力，别害怕，怕也没有用。我们会否受到伤害，你会否在学校受到欺凌，没人说得准，但爸爸妈妈会尽一切努力保护你。最近和你讲完Bed Time story后，我都加插了一番话，我知道你或多或少听得明白。我说，我们在面对困难时，自己要坚强一点，别人欺负我们，要懂得保护自己，同时要记住，我们没有做错。

If you ask me whether it is possible for your father to quit his police job, my answer is maybe. But he loves this job and we must never ask him to quit the job he loves. He has been working flat out day and night recently. Physically he is able to handle the strain. The toughest challenge is the tremendous mental stress he has to bear. I know your dad has not forgotten the reason why he chose to be a policeman. That reason is to maintain public order and protect Hong Kong citizens. Right now the Hong Kong Police Force needs able hands more than ever and we must support him as best as we can, because your father will never leave the HKPF, as we will never turn our backs on him.

你若问我爸爸可不可以不做警察，我会答你不是不可以，但这份工作是爸爸所爱的工作，我们不应要求他离开自己的岗位。最近他日以继夜的上班，身体上的辛苦还可以捱过去，最辛苦的其实是面对巨大的精神压力。我知道爸爸并没有忘记到他当警察的初衷，就是维持治安、保护巿民。现在警队正是最需要人手之际，我们只能支持他，因为爸爸不会离弃警队，我们不会离弃爸爸。

If you ask me whether I can leave Hong Kong, my answer is again maybe. That’s because Hong Kong is the city we love and we hate leaving our home behind. My hope is to stay in Hong Kong with my family and fellow Hong Kong citizens to do our best for Hong Kong in overcoming the challenges for as long as needed. While living our own lives to the best of our abilities we should always think about what we can do to help our community no matter how insignificant our efforts may be. At least we can say that we have tried our utmost.

你若问我可不可以离开香港，我会答你不是不可以，但香港是我们所爱的城巿，我们不想离开自己的家。妈妈希望留在香港，和家人、和香港人共度难关，为香港努力，直至到最后一刻。我们要好好过自己的生活，想想自己可以为时局做一点什么，无论是如何卑微，至少我们尝试过。

My child, you have a long journey ahead of you and I hope you will always have faith in love. People may say it is crazy to talk about love when unwarranted hatred rages. But our world would become extremely dangerous if we forget love and let ourselves be blinded by hate instead. We would lose our common sense and the ability to seek unity in diversity if we did. Once love is forgotten it won't be long before happiness is, too.

孩子，在你日后长长的旅途，我希望你要始终相信爱。或者在这个敌我分明的时势还说爱，有人会觉得很荒谬，但如果我们忘记了爱，让仇恨蒙蔽了眼睛，再没有同理心去明白事物的多样性，我们的世界将会变得非常危险。忘记了爱，很快连快乐也再记不起。

Don't believe for a minute the journey ahead will be easy. When you read this letter again some years later you will understand it better. Whenever you feel depressed, remember you are not just the proud child of a policeman, you also need to work hard to be an upright person. Your dad and I will always be there to safeguard you and Hong Kong.

未来的路，一点都不容易。若干年后，你再看这封信定必看得更明白。遇上难过的时刻，请记住，你不单要做好警察的孩子，你还要努力做好一个人。爸爸妈妈会一直守护你，守护香港。

Love,

Mom

爱你的妈妈上