dc.description.abstract | Hong Kong has long been a major trade centre due to its thriving capitalism and advantageous geographic location. Its highly commercialised social structure resulted in a market-oriented cultural development, which in turn builds into a form of “cultural industry”. Undoubtedly, what the city has become deeply influences the writings of Lilian Lee, making her novels a juxtaposition of refined and popular tastes. Her novels tell much more than love affairs; her themes are intrinsically interwoven with specific historical, political, and cultural threads, and all of them strike a chord in the souls of urban dwellers. This paper uses “the city of Hong Kong” as its axis and focuses on two points: the rich creative intentions that can be induced from many of Lilian Lee’s novels, and the distinctive cultures and histories of Hong Kong as seen in her works.
The first chapter lays the foundation of the research by summarising former findings and setting the methodology and structure of the paper. The second chapter discusses the influence of Hong Kong’s literature environment on Lilian Lee. She has full grasp of Hong Kong’s “cultural industry”, so her novels always follow the market rules by appealing to the readers’ tastes. However, her popular approach does not undermine the literary value of her writings. Contrastingly, her works fully demonstrate her creative capacity and her keen observation of human nature. The third chapter discusses the men and women of the city. Her vivid descriptions bring Hong Kong alive, depicting the realistic yet ironic love affairs between people. She reflects the deficiencies of modern urban life by putting several issues under the spotlight: the commoditification of human emotions, the vulnerability and resilience of women in love, the commercialisation of pornography, and voyeurism. Lee channels the anxiety of modern people through nostalgic touches and helps to find a haven for people’s solitude and loneliness. The fourth chapter explains the nostalgic trend that Lee’s novels brought in Hong Kong. People were able to reconstructe the hidden history of Hong Kong through her novels, filling the hollowness in their souls. On the other hand, the handover in 1997 brought stress to most Hong Kong people, and they sought refuge and identity in the past. The fifth chapter analyses Lee’s views on Chinese history and politics. Though a resident on a tiny island on the edge of China, Lee cares a lot about her central motherland. She puts different focuses on China before, during and after the handover of Hong Kong, and shows the national and ethnic awareness and self-identity of Hong Kong people. The last chapter discusses the features of Lee’s adapted works. In adapting classics, Lee “emphasises the personality and emotional expressions of female characters” and “criticises specific political figures”. In adapting novellas into novels, she “contextualises the stories into their historical and political backgrounds” and “depicts richer characters”.
Lilian Lee marked a touch of sensitivity to the life of Hong Kong. She never stopped writing, and keeps paying attention to both China and Hong Kong. Her contemplation about the influence of China on Hong Kong and the colours and hues of this “Oriental Pearl” are all ingrained in her novels. | en_US |