A R E a D E R ' S G U I

close up burmese boxing A R e A d e R ’ s G u i d e hong Kong is unlikely to earn the title of world’s most literary city but thanks to a series of book-centric initiatives and a new generation of writers, the city is reclaiming its literary heritage while keeping its eyes fixed squarely on the future w o R d s C a s s a n d r a n a j i i l l u s t ra t i o n s j o n a t h a n j a Y L e e 44 FahThai FahThai 45 close up literary tour of hong kong isitors in search of the Lam remaining relic of Suzie Wong is the name a city that’s completely plastic.” greedy self-consumption could present a literary city,” she says. “It demands of the from the sea over the years, sees the urban Kwok Hotel are almost above the door. McLane hits the nail on the head when thorny problem when it comes to Literary visitor a literary imagination, because if flux as a way to uncover fundamental certain to be disappointed. Similar stories are repeated across it comes to Hong Kong’s shape-shifting Tours. “Here’s the thing about Hong you want to understand the city you have truths. “What’s challenging for a writer The inspiration for the Hong Kong. While the city has inspired tendencies. The developed world’s densest Kong,” she says. “It’s not an obviously to keep a version of it always in your head. like myself is to ponder whether or not the guesthouse in Richard numerous writers eager to capture its urban area, Hong Kong has seen a literary city. Hong Kong doesn’t have an The place where you have literature in your perpetual change can unlock something VMason’s novel The World of Suzie Wong cosmopolitan energy, the locations featured large-scale urban regeneration in the 17 iconic writer, like a Hemingway in Cuba imagination is the space in which Hong more significant to say about the human still stands on Hong Kong’s Gloucester in many of its best-known novels have years since the handover. The city is now or a Joyce in Dublin. You couldn’t pick Kong actually exists.” condition in the 21st century. Life is in Road, but instead of the louche hotel- ended up as victims of the city’s relentless home to 8,000 skyscrapers, many of them up your guidebook and say, ‘Hey, Samuel Xu Xi, one of the city’s foremost English- constant flux anyway, so a city that’s a cum-cathouse where Mason lost his development. built on land reclaimed from the sea. An Johnson lived here!’, because even if he language writers, agrees that inspiration can metaphor for the fast pace of change in innocence, literary pilgrims will find a “The city is constantly eating itself,” estimated 97% of the population lives in had those places probably wouldn’t exist be found amid the urban flux. “The more it modern existence provides a great source luxury skyscraper hotel filled with smiling says Daisann McLane, a Hong Kong urban areas and, with high-profile projects anymore.” changes, the more I look for the lost world for a writer.” suit-and-tie types; a little different from resident of 12 years who gives cultural such as the development of the 16ha West However, according to McLane, Hong underneath its veneer,” she says. “Writing One event that embraces Hong Kong’s Mason’s slightly dotty Cantonese concierge tours of the city. “Buildings get torn Kowloon Cultural District under way, the Kong’s apparent disregard for literary is all about language and as geography relentless urban and social flux is the and welcoming working girls. The original down and destroyed, new ones go up and regeneration shows little sign of flagging. heritage could prove, paradoxically, a changes, so does language.” Hong Kong International Literary Festival hotel of Mason’s day was demolished even people in their 50s can’t take you to For McLane and her tour company boon for the city’s contemporary literati. “I Xi, who has set much for her work in (HKILF). Now in its 13th year, HKILF and replaced in the 1980s and the only the places where they grew up. We live in Little Adventures in Hong Kong, the city’s would argue that in a way this is a deeply Tsim Sha Tsui, an area largely reclaimed celebrates English-language literature with a 46 FahThai FahThai 47 close up literary tour of hong kong “Writers are grappling the diversity of the city but also carving out a distinct identity for Hong Kong literature.” pan-Asian perspective, bringing together international writers and 49 Hong Kong [for writers] is the mixture of the old and writers and academics to create a space participants take part, with established the new; this is a place with a complicated for literary discussion in the city. The names such as Germaine Greer and cultural and ideological identity, so festival, which runs from 31 October Wild Swans author John Chang rubbing writers are grappling with the city’s to 9 November this year, is chance for shoulders with many of Hong Kong’s diversity but also carving out a distinct visitors to see a side of Hong Kong they most notable up-and-comers. “We create identity for Hong Kong literature.” might otherwise have missed. “It’s a cool this mix on purpose,” Cammack says. Over on the south side of Hong Kong way to get to know the city,” says festival “The exchange of ideas is beneficial to Island, another ongoing project aims manager Jessie Cammack. “Even if you’re everyone and can create some chemistry. to bring Hong Kong literature out of just listening to the questions people are We try to trust the diversity of the city.” the shadows. The recently inaugurated posing, you get a sense of what’s going Cammack says that though the city’s Southern District Literary Trail runs on in the city. We also try to tailor events literary scene can be hard to uncover for across the verdant southern coast, tracing to be specifically about Hong Kong and I newcomers, a quiet literary renaissance is the footsteps of five Chinese-language recommend that visitors come and listen underway. “It can be difficult to connect writers from the 20th century: Xiao to local authors discuss their work. It’s with the city’s literary heritage and I think Hong, Eileen Chang, Cai Yuanpei, Xu definitely a good way to get to know the the literary scene is still working itself out Dishan and Hu Shih. city and you’ll learn things you wouldn’t as a defined community. But right now “It’s always been our target to promote learn following the normal tourist trail.” it’s a great city to be a writer in. There are local tourism, as well as the artistic Details of this year’s event have yet to new MFA programmes and small presses ambience of the southern district,” be finalised, but last year’s festival saw 23 setting up, and what I think is inspiring says Chu Ching-Hong, chairman of the 48 FahThai FahThai 2949 close up burmese boxing close up literary tour of hong kong “A city that is a metaphor for the fast pace of change in modern existence provides a great source for a writer.” Best books set in Hong Kong trail. “Hong Kong’s fast development is not just about revisiting the city’s past; in the past few decades erased a the initiative also involves city students Martin Booth's Greenway’s debut novel number of heritage footprints from the and youth groups, the aim being to GweiLo tells the story of Kate, a past. However, people are now more raise awareness of Hong Kong’s literary Booth’s memoir is not just young girl about to lose concerned about conservation and there heritage among the younger set. “After the story of a young white her innocence. have been quite a number of successful drawing up the trail, we started to think boy (a ‘gweilo’) growing rejuvenation projects of heritage of how to add a modern touch,” Chu up in 20th-century Hong janiCe Y K Lee, the buildings.” says. “So we decided not to develop a Kong, but also the story Piano teaCher Following the trail through the lush trail with traditional sculptures of the of the city itself. lee’s Hong Kong is exotic mountains and crystal skies of the literati, but to collaborate with Hong and louche, as married southern district, the hustle of Hong Kong Polytechnic University for a jaMes CLaVell, woman Claire Pendleton Kong Central seems a world away. The modern interpretation. Through that, five noble house embarks on an affair in first stop is Repulse Bay, the setting for creative public art pieces were selected as Clavell’s thriller about the middle of the city’s Love in a Fallen City, a novella by Hong landmarks of the Trail.” financial corruption and sensual, chaotic post-war Kong’s most internationally renowned The five sculptures, scheduled for greed paints Hong Kong period. writer, Eileen Chang. It’s the story of completion by the end of this year, were as a playground for the star-crossed, war-era lovers Liusu and designed by the students with the help of rich and unscrupulous, PauL theroux, Liuyuan. The original hotel, a low-slung, professionals and take a fresh approach where greed is good and KowLoon tonG art-deco building from the colonial era, to commemorating Hong Kong’s literary anything goes.

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