Shanghai | Hong Kong has traditionally been a safe and vibrant city. Many of its 7.5 million citizens are survivors. Immigrants who fled mainland China during the Cultural Revolution to build a fortune and establish a better life for their children. The high-rise harbour city has weathered British colonial rule, Japanese occupation and a deadly SARS epidemic in 2003.

However, many believe Hong Kong is now facing its greatest crisis. The shocking images of hundreds of angry young protesters smashing through the windows of the city's parliament and defacing emblems and other symbols of the Hong Kong Special  Administrative Region (SAR) marked a turning point in the unrest that has gripped the city for more than a month.