From packed streets to silence: documenting the fall of Hong Kong

Two years ago photojournalist Laurel Chor covered mass protests against the extradition bill. She looks back at how the city has changed in their wake

I had never seen so many people before in my life. On 9 June 2019, hundreds of thousands of people dressed in white marched slowly but steadily across Hong Kong island.

The heat and humidity were almost unbearable, but protesters from all walks of life came prepared with neck towels, folding fans, and umbrellas to shield the sun. It's never easy to capture the scale of a crowd, but the intense, palpable energy emanating from the masses of people who had united for common values isn't something a photograph could ever convey.