The Global Times reporter whom Hong Kong protesters ganged up on after suspecting he was a mainland Chinese police agent, has received a hero's welcome after getting discharged from the hospital.

"Did not do anything unlawful"

Speaking to the media briefly before leaving the hospital on Wednesday, Aug. 14, Fu Guohao said he should not be treated violently as he had complied with everything a citizen should do, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

He also claimed his reason for not admitting he was a reporter while he was being attacked by the protesters was due to "self-protection".

Fu was wearing a yellow high-visibility vest worn by reporters when he was surrounded.

In addition, despite being heard in a video asking protesters to hit him, he denied ever saying that.

Fu said he did not suffer from any serious injuries, but felt pain in his head and hands.

He later told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV at a hospital in Shenzhen that he still felt a bit dizzy, adding that he did not dare to have a video call with his parents as he was afraid they would be worried.

Hero's welcome

Fu received bouquets of flowers from mostly pro-government supporters while he was staying at the hospital in Hong Kong, SCMP reported.

Some of them even wore red t-shirts that read, "I support the Hong Kong police, you can hit me now".

The phrase has now blown up on the Chinese Intranet, with many Chinese netizens repeating the slogan to express their support for the Hong Kong government and police, and condemn the actions of the protesters.

"Fu Guohao is a real man"

Fu was also hailed as a hero back at home in mainland China, where most Chinese do not sympathise with the Hongkongers who are protesting.

"He's a hero." (Crying emoji)

"Fu Guohao is a man that's hard to come by. The most impressive thing about him is that although he was alone in that dangerous situation and could be beaten to death at any time, no signs of fear could be seen on his face. With those two lines ("I support the Hong Kong police, you can hit me now"), he has not only gained respect for himself, but has also brought honour upon the entire Chinese media, and even the Chinese people. He is a real man, and I admire him."

Chinese internet users also expressed their support for Chinese state-run media Global Times.

"I stan Global Times! Global Times is truly the beacon of light among all official state-run media!!"

The hashtag "Fu Guohao is a real man" was trending on popular microblogging site Weibo.

Fu was also the subject of a stylised image of him bearing the brunt of the mob-like behaviour of "rioters", with the words "I support the Hong Kong police, you can hit me now" accompanying it.

Background

Global Times reporter tied & beaten up

Fu was confirmed to be a reporter from Global Times after the paper's editor-in-chief Hu Xijin took to Twitter to ask the protesters to release him.

Hu also asked for the help of western journalists.

Fu was eventually released after his hour-long ordeal, and was sent to the hospital.

Global Times' stance on the situation in Hong Kong echoes those by Chinese citizens'.

Many felt the protesters were not justified in detaining the reporter, much less attacking him.

After the chaotic scenes in the second day of demonstrations at the Hong Kong International Airport, protesters seeking to limit the damage done to their pro-democracy cause then released a statement to apologise for some of their actions.

They said it is not in their intention to cause delays to travellers, and asked for their "understanding and forgiveness".

They also went back for a third day to apologise for what happened the day before.

Spinning a narrative using a powerful image

Images and footage of the Global Times reporter, Fu Guohao, being tied up and abused has made its rounds globally on social media, with the Chinese state media utilising the powerful image to denounce the "violence" of the protesters.

A China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Adam Ni, told Inkstone that China likes to "make heroes because heroes are useful for propaganda purposes".

He said: "We already see China’s state media using the latest incident at the airport to undermine the protesters, characterising them as a mob out of control.'

Top image via Anthony Kwan/Getty Images