One City One Book Hong Kong 2020 Featured My City by Xi Xi
- 2021
- Research
- Department of Literature and Cultural Studies, Centre for Popular Culture in the Humanities
The Department of Literature and Culture Studies (LCS) and the Centre for Popular Culture in the Humanities co-organised the “One City One Book Hong Kong” community reading programme for the second year. The book chosen for 2020 is My City, a classic work of Hong Kong literature by Xi Xi. Written in the 1970s, Xi Xi weaves a deceptively child-like narrative against a background of political and social problems. The simplicity and playfulness of the language, the rich local colour, and the forging of a local identity have made this novel appealing to anyone who lives in this city.
A range of resources were created to encourage the reading of My City, and made available for public access here. One could find a video of Xi Xi recounting how she wrote and illustrated My City, videos of teachers from LCS sharing what they like about the book, an audiobook version of My City newly recorded by 18 Hong Kong writers and artists, information about the author and the different editions of the book, as well as learning and teaching materials. A permanent online exhibition devoted to the work of Xi Xi, funded by a grant from the Hong Kong Arts Development council, opened in December 2020.
The programme also hosted many community events with different collaborators, with an aim to promote discussion and civic engagement. These included a sharing session on Xi Xi’s significance in Hong Kong literature, screenings of documentary films centred on Xi Xi, three guided literary walking tours, and three sessions of a paired reading workshop on drawing a picture book version of My City. Four book discussions and talks were held on Facebook Live*, covering topics like portraying Hong Kong through literature and music, using Cantonese in writing, ekphrasis and the city, and writing about the working class. Most events were fully booked.
*Video recordings of the Facebook Lives can be viewed here.
Xi Xi recording the preface of My City audiobook.
Guest Speakers Ho Fuk Yan (Director) (left) and Pang Kin Ming (Director of Photography) (middle) sharing after the premiere screening of “Birds of Passage : A Writer of Our City”.
6@RubberBand (right) and Tim Lui (lyricist @RubberBand) (middle) sharing about “Lyrics and Literature”.
