“I Was Always Liminal: An Interview With Xu Xi” by Amba Tyrie

Editor’s note: This interview took place in 2021. Amba Tyrie (Amba): Is your book entitled The Unwalled City related to Kowloon Walled City? Xu Xi: Yes, I borrowed the title from the idea of the Walled City, as I grew up when the Walled City was still around—­­so the idea of ‘unwalling’ was the way…

“An Intellectual Exchange: A Review of 𝐸𝑑𝑜 𝐽𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑” by James Kin Pong Au

Donald Keene and Shiba Ryōtarō (authors), Tony Gonzalez (translator), Edo Japan Encounters the World: Conversations Between Donald Keene and Shiba Ryotaro, Japan Library, 2018. 137 pgs. Editor’s note: This review is cross-posted on Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. I remember when I was pursuing a Master’s in Japanese literature in London, my teacher in the first…

“Wet, Dry, Wet” by Abel Han Song

I discovered a theory of life while making chow mein. Mix the flour and water and let the dough rest. Pull the dough and the dough also sticks you. Boil the noodles and then fry with beef and vegetable. We always turn the dry things into wet, and wet things into dry. I am a…

“Representing AIDS in China” by Serene Ng Yeuk Shu

The HP Series showcases excerpts from excellent Honours Projects by students from the Department of English Language and Literature. [Read all entries here.] Supervisor: Dr Ruth Y. Y. Hung “Not now! No one’s around to take pictures. Next week, we’ll book our best photographer: If every plasma station’s being shut down, a head must roll… This…

Poetry Speaks: Cheng Tim Tim’s Selections—Reading Felix Chow, Reading Hong Kong

Connecting the Dots I never knew English poetry could look like this, something so close to daily life. I invite you to read the poem below aloud, which contains the sounds from many Hongkongers’ teenage years: So MKby Felix Chow They sat on mallside bannisterssmoking IQOS. Screaming spring.Contact-covered eyes behinda greasy, fringy frame. Bright-haired street…