WATCH: This is How You Reject a CCTV Reporter in Hong Kong

Those Umbrella Movement student protesters do know how to turn down unwanted interviews with some panache. 

Recently, a CCTV television reporter in Hong Kong tried to solicit views from students, and got an interesting response. 

Speaking in Mandarin, the CCTV reporter asked a lady: “Can you tell me what you think?”

She replied in Cantonese: “I don’t understand what you’re saying” 

The CCTV reporter said: “It’s okay, you can speak in Cantonese.” 

The man standing on her left quickly replied in English: “Sorry, I don’t know what you said,” turned, and left. 

The camera cut to what seems like a different location, and the CCTV reporter asked another Hong Kong man: “Don’t worry, you can really say anything you want to say,” perhaps being self-conscious about CCTV’s reputation as a CCP propaganda mouthpiece. 

The Hong Kong man turned, looked down at the CCTV logo on the mike, faced the CCTV reporter, and said with a slight smile: “Sorry, I don’t want to speak to your channel.” 

In light of increasing hostility between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese — an 2012 incident revolved around a Hong Kong subway argument and the remarks of a mainland Chinese professor being one notable example — pulling out the “I-don’t-understand-your-language” trick is a good, peaceful way to disengage.