'Vibrant Object,' Shifting Perspectives: Understanding Hong Kong Poetry as Method

Abstract

What is “Hong Kong”? What is the meaning of discussing “Hong Kong” apart from the claims of loyalty and nostalgia? This shift in scholarly research propels further re-examination of the connections between Hong Kong and the world. Such critical self-reflection not only begs the question of how identities and cultural images are created but also addresses the challenge of creating a sense of a place that will not pin that place down or ignore its ever-changing nature. In this chapter, the aim is to discover whether a reading of Hong Kong literature as method will further our understanding of the interconnectedness of Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Will it be a means of critiquing, revisiting, and transforming the Hong Kong subject? We will examine the works of two well-known Hong Kong poets, P K Leung, who writes under the name Ye Si (也斯) and Natalia Siu-hong Chan, who writes under the name Lok Fung (洛楓), who stress the importance of interconnectedness, be it economic, cultural, historical, or philosophical. Both poets’ works reveal the connections and displacements arising from a commodified world. By illuminating the process of circulation within the literary space, their works are prescient warnings of the dangers of viewing literary works as mere products of capitalism. Poetry is also a means of temporal extension: it encompasses China’s traditions, its colonial history, and its contemporary local contexts.