ABSTRACT
Twentieth-century Hong Kong lay at the crossroads of Chinese and non-Chinese culture and politics, informed by more than a hundred years of British colonialism with its attendant values and traditions, and simultaneously standing as a locus of traditional Chinese culture during this tumultuous century of Chinese revolution. It might be asked if there are features of “Hong Kong literature” that distinguish it from Chinese literature on the whole and help inform our understanding of Hong Kong throughout the twentieth century to provide insight into Hong Kong’s, and thus China’s, future in the twenty-first century. A search on Hong Kong writers and literary researchers indicates a clear sense of Hong Kong individuality and uniqueness vis-à-vis its own cultural and social traditions.
