For others in the diaspora, the protests have also challenged one-dimensional Western ideas of Asian culture as passive and deferential.

“I think this has reminded me that Australians are perhaps more complacent than we’d like to believe, and Hong Kongers have more fight in them than people remember,” said Benjamin Law, an Australian writer and author, whose relatives in Hong Kong joined the protests. “It makes me more proud of my heritage.”

“It’s them against the behemoth that is mainland China,” he added. “All the odds are stacked against them, and they choose to stand up and show up. You can’t help but be moved and humbled.”

Apart from symbolism, the extradition bill, if it were to pass, could have tangible, concerning implications for residents here. Because it applies to foreign citizens, those who have openly criticized the Communist Party here say they now worry about visiting relatives in Hong Kong.

The city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam has delayed the bill and made a rare apology. But demonstrators, fearing the loss of more freedoms that people of Hong Kong enjoy under the “one country, two systems” policy, want the bill to be entirely withdrawn among other demands.

[Read more about how Hong Kong has long been a refuge for mainland Chinese people and how the Chinese government has responded to the protest.]