Three Literary Works by Xi Xi
We have selected three texts published by Xi Xi in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, respectively. The texts focus on various social situations and issues in Hong Kong, and we believe that it is through formal innovation and experimentation that Xi Xi establishes new ways of observing the world and responding to problems. You can read and learn more about these three texts here.
(first published in 1992)
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989, Xi Xi published a series of related works, which were collected in the book Mourning a Breast in 1992. Mourning a Breast is not a traditional memoir that draws mainly on personal experiences and feelings, but rather it is a juxtaposition of various type of writing styles, involving knowledge of medicine, translation, architecture, etc. The critic Ho Fuk Yan called it a “new style” akin to “a kaleidoscope”, while William Tay regard it as “a novel of mixed genres” or “a comprehensive narrative style of multiple genres”…
(first published in installments from 4 January to 31 March 1977 in Express, published as book in 1990)
Xi Xi has described her ground-breaking novels from the 1970s, My City and The Merry Building, as “two ways of writing the same place.” While My City draws on perspectives from flaneurs, the Merry Building is set in a 12-floor residential building. If the city’s development is a product of imperialism, governed not only by colonizers but what Paul Virilio regards as the “rule of speed,” then Xi Xi instead uses her technique of “slowness” to record the energy of the daily lives of everyday people…
(completed in April 1986 and published in Handscroll in 1988)
“Marvels of a Floating City” tells a Hong Kong story through 13 paintings by the Belgian painter René Magritte. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984 and determined the handover of Hong Kong’s sovereignty in 1997. How should the people living in the city ponder their future? This short piece, completed in April 1986, was a timely response to the critical situation. Influenced by Calvino’s concept of “time zero”, this work of fiction does not focus on narrating a “complete” story with a beginning and an end, but focuses on the moment by inviting readers to contemplate the city through 13 surrealist paintings full of contradictions and tensions…
Writing Prompts
Readers can discover not only the “past,” but also the “present” from Xi Xi’s work. The strategies described here are developed from her work and can be applied to observe Hong Kong today. We hope you can write your own stories based on these writing prompts.
Find a list of useful links to websites, databases and scholarly articles related to Xi Xi’s literary works.
Since November 2021, we have organized various writing workshops both online and in person, in areas such as Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai, Kowloon Tong, etc. Learn more about these workshops.
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