Author Description

This collection of contemporary Hong Kong poems--most published here in English for the first time--reveals the heart of a city on the edge of a dramatic change of identity. Lyrical and poignant, the poems reflect the heightened emotions and apprehensions of the Hong Kong people as China'stakeover nears.Writing in free verse that breaks with traditional Chinese form, the twelve modern poets retain links with the past, sometimes alluding through subject, diction, and imagery to the Chinese poetic tradition. Some of the poets express a longing for China as a homeland, while others draw on Chinesemyth and folk-tales reflect on the universal themes of reincarnation, life and death, and the passage of time. Whether describing the vibrancy of Hong Kong life, examining the effects of the Tiananmen Square incident, or reflecting on love and society, each poet brings to life some part of the HongKong character.