Writing Hong Kong Sinophonicity : History, Gender and Ethnicity in Hong Kong Fiction

This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Writing Hong Kong Sinophonicity : history, gender and ethnicity in Hong Kong fiction Long, Chao 2018 Long, C. (2018). Writing Hong Kong Sinophonicity : history, gender and ethnicity in Hong Kong fiction. Doctoral thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/82973 https://doi.org/10.32657/10220/47520 Downloaded on 02 Oct 2021 05:15:42 SGT Writing Hong Kong Sinophonicity — History, Gender and Ethnicity in Hong Kong Fiction LONG CHAO SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES 2018 Writing Hong Kong Sinophonicity — History, Gender and Ethnicity in Hong Kong Fiction LONG CHAO School of Humanities A thesis submitted to the Nanyang Technological University in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Statement of Originality I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis is the result of original research, is free of plagiarised materials, and has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. Date Supervisor Declaration Statement I have reviewed the content and presentation style of this thesis and declare it is free of plagiarism and of sufficient grammatical clarity to be examined. To the best of my knowledge, the research and writing are those of the candidate. I confirm that the investigations were conducted in accord with the ethics policies and integrity standards of Nanyang Technological University and that the research data are presented honestly and without prejudice. Date Assoc. Professor Sim Wai Chew Acknowledgements It has been quite a journey to complete this dissertation, for which I have too many individuals to be thankful. My first and foremost gratitude goes to my main supervisor Professor Sim Wai Chew who has been instrumental in giving me guidance and inspiration during the trying process of writing my thesis. He is always open to hearing my ideas, even when those ideas are preliminary and superficial. At the same time, he is equally strict, always urging me to push my arguments further and really get to the bottom of my research question. I have learned so much from his approach to academic inquiries, not only knowledge in my field of studies but also his meticulous attention to the technical aspects of writing of this dissertation. For this, I shall always remain deeply grateful. My heartfelt thanks are equally extended to my co-supervisor, Professor Uganda Kwan Sze Pui, who has given me tireless support and timely feedback during each stage of my writing process. The rigor that she has demonstrated sets a great example of what an academic should be like in any field of studies. Her kindness has also been a ray of light in the darker days of my intellectual stupor. More importantly, she has generously shared with me valuable resources and information that will benefit me in the long haul as a scholar. For this, I will always remember by heart. The submission of my dissertation could not have been possible without the support of the two of my Thesis Advisory Committee members, Professor Jini Kim Watson and Professor Jane Yeang Chui Wong. I am deeply appreciative of Professor Watson’s kind remarks and constructive criticism along the process of the completion of my thesis draft. Similarly, I am greatly affected by Professor Wong’s exuberant spirit and encouraging words whenever we meet. But my indebtedness to her also includes her gracious agreeing to hire me as her research i assistant. Not only has that experience taught me a great deal about academic writing from a different perspective, but also it introduced me into the world of academic publishing. I am certain that my knowledge gained from this experience will be of value in the years to come. In addition to these two, my former co-supervisor Professor Lee Hyunjung also had a positive influence on how I form the main argument of my thesis. I am greatly appreciative of her support as well. My journey as a PhD candidate would not be the same without the guidance of my graduate course instructors along the way. To Professor C. J. Wee Wan-Ling, thank you for introducing me to the discipline of cultural studies. It has been wonderful to take your course and listen to your insightful comments on our current cultures. To Professor Shirley Chew, thank you for ushering me into the world of postcolonial studies. It is simply a privilege to hear your lectures, for the clarity, energy and erudition you displayed in the classroom are everything of a teacher that I aspire to become. To Professor Winnie Yee from the Department of Comparative Literature at University of Hong Kong, thank you for graciously accepting my request to conduct my research in Hong Kong for six months. It has been an eye-opening experience to share my research ideas with, as well as receive feedback from, the faculty members and graduate students in the department. Last but never least, my deepest love and appreciation goes to my dear parents. Thank you for teaching me the meaning of unconditional love and support. You will always remain the most important people in my life. To all my great friends, Xiao Ling, He Fan, Candice and many other magnificent human beings that I have met in many places along the way, thank you for keeping me grounded, for lending me a helping hand whenever I feel overwhelmed by my emotions, and for the friendship that I know will last for a lifetime. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... i Summary ................................................................................................................................................... iv Notes on Transliteration ........................................................................................................................ vi Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Defining Sinophonicity: Literary Representation of Hong Kong’s Coloniality ................................... 6 2. Overview of Chapters ......................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter One: Writing the Historical Self— Fiction, Artifacts and the Making of History in Dung Kai-cheung’s Works and Creation: Vivid and Lifelike ......................................................... 24 1. Writing History in Hong Kong—Family Narratives and History’s Elided Potentialities ................... 26 2. Writing the Self in Dung Kai-cheung’s Works—Subverting the Norm in Possible Worlds .............. 37 3. Conclusion: Writing Historical Sinophonicity and a “Natural” History of Hong Kong ..................... 97 Chapter Two: Writing the Gendered Self—Womanhood, Manhood and Lower Class Resilience in Wong Bik-wan’s Portraits of Martyred Women and Children of Darkness ..... 102 1. Doing Gender in Hong Kong—Tenacious Women and Resilient Men ............................................ 103 2. Portraits of Martyred Women—Womanhood, History and Lower Class Resilience ....................... 111 3. Children of Darkness—Manhood, Street Gangster and Lower Class Resilience ............................. 162 4. Conclusion—Performing Gendered Sinophonicity and the Oral Tradition ...................................... 175 Chapter Three: Writing the Ethnic Self—Languaging the Upper Middle Class Woman in Xu Xi’s Hong Kong Rose and The Unwalled City .......................................................................... 179 1. The Ethnic Question in Hong Kong—Defying Chineseness ............................................................ 181 2. Xu Xi’s English—A Hong Kong Sensibility .................................................................................... 185 3. The Tale of Andanna—The Paradox of a Hong Kong Chinese ........................................................ 190 4. The Tale of Rose—The Compromise of an Indonesian Chinese ...................................................... 199 5. The Tale of Gail— The Precarity of a Hong Kong Eurasian ............................................................ 244 6. Conclusion: The Becoming of Female Ethnic Sinophonicity ........................................................... 253 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 257 Works Cited ........................................................................................................................................... 270 iii Summary The fact that Hong Kong has a long literary tradition is often neglected in much of the public discussion about the city’s political and economic situation. The marginal place that literature occupies subsequently inspires writers to approach Hong Kong’s colonial formation in an alternative light, one that can be understood as an act of decolonization of Hong Kong’s culture. This dissertation therefore argues for a conceptualization of Sinophonicity that depicts the formation of the local Hong Kong subject as constructed in literary fiction, in order to articulate how Hong Kong literature produces decolonizing discourse and pressures. Deriving from the discourse of Sinophone studies, the term “Sinophonicity” differentiates from the monological signifier “Chineseness” by

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