To my American ears at least, "way of life" used in this sense _does_ encompass all those big, important things. The rhetoric has always been that the [Soviets, Al Qaeda, whoever] hate our "way of life" and want to destroy it, whereas Superman wants to protect "truth, justice, and the American Way". It's a stand-in for freedom, habeas corpus, the Bill of Rights, and the rest.

It's a sad time for HK and the world.

Have no idea why you think the phrase "way of life" trivializes their losses. If anything I feel it emphasizes how these losses are not just some abstract concept but will concretely affect the everyday lives of Hong Kong's citizens.

If you're unaware, the American meaning of the phrase "way of life" absolutely encompasses and does not trivialize those things.

The phrase has been used in propaganda with the same meaning for maybe a century at this point, if not at least since the 50s.

It's so ingrained that I had to reread your comment several times to understand how you could possibly be upset at that.

"way of life" is a specific piece of terminology used in Article 5 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong which is why it's often referred in this way.

The exact wording is "The socialist system and policies shall not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years."