Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sent Xi Jinping's censors scrambling last week with a two-word tweet. The offending Twitter post carried a photo of a fanged, menacing-looking Winnie the Pooh and the caption "Emperor Xi."
Few references troll Xi's expurgators into action as fast as comparing China's strongest leader since Mao Zedong to the portly cartoon bear. Memes likening Xi to the honey-loving Pooh were banned in 2013. Yet Wong's provocation has a far bigger purpose than most. It points to a future that may be anything but cuddly or sweet for Hong Kong's 7.4 million people.