Hong Kong Lit Club
Hong Kong Lit Club
Podcast Description
While the city is often portrayed as a busy financial hub where nobody has time to read, the reality is that people do read - and they write, too. Discover the work of both past and contemporary authors, and dive into the the literary heritage of Hong Kong that often gets overlooked. Each episode will feature three parts: a read-aloud ("Words Unfold"), either by your host, Julia, or by guest authors reading their own pieces, a discussion section to delve deeper into the meaning of the text ("Deep Dive"), and a short language section focussing on a Cantonese word or phrase ("Local Lingo"). Ultimately, this podcast is a celebration of Hong Kong's literary landscape and an invitation for listeners to embark on a literary journey that transcends borders.Learn more here.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Focused on the literary heritage of Hong Kong, the podcast explores themes of identity, cultural reflection, and intergenerational relationships with episodes that feature contemporary works, discussions on the impact of technology on storytelling, and explorations of local language.
While the city is often portrayed as a busy financial hub where nobody has time to read, the reality is that people do read – and they write, too. Discover the work of both past and contemporary authors, and dive into the the literary heritage of Hong Kong that often gets overlooked. Each episode will feature three parts: a read-aloud (“Words Unfold”), either by your host, Julia, or by guest authors reading their own pieces, a discussion section to delve deeper into the meaning of the text (“Deep Dive”), and a short language section focussing on a Cantonese word or phrase (“Local Lingo”).
Ultimately, this podcast is a celebration of Hong Kong’s literary landscape and an invitation for listeners to embark on a literary journey that transcends borders.
Learn more here.
In this episode, we explore A Personal History of Hong Kong as 39 Everyday Objects, a visually striking poem by Dr. Antony Huen that transforms mundane items—from bamboo scaffolding to Octopus cards—into a curated museum of collective memory. Blending personal nostalgia with cultural commentary, the poem invites readers to reconsider Hong Kong’s identity through the lens of the ordinary.
Dr. Huen joins Julia in the Deep Dive segment to discuss:
- Why objects, not people or places, became his framework for Hong Kong’s story.
- The tension between local, colonial, and global influences in the poem.
- How language choices (English, Cantonese, Japanese) reflect Hong Kong’s hybridity.
- Which object he’d preserve for future generations—and why.
We also hear from two Hong Kongers in their 60s about the iconic objects that define their city. Finally, in Local Lingo, we unpack the surprising global journey of the red-white-blue bag.
Featured Work & Further Reading
📜 Poem:A Personal History of Hong Kong as 39 Everyday Objects (original English version)
📚 Essay:Cosmopolitan Hybridity, Cultural Memory, and Curation in Hong Kong Poetry by Antony Huen and Felix Chow
👜 The Red-White-Blue Bag: Read journalist Christopher DeWolf’s article on how this humble tarp became a global icon.
🌐 Author’s Website:Visit here
📱Social Media: Follow Dr. Huen on Twitter/X or Instagram
Credits
🎙️ Voice Contributors: Moon, Biu, Sybil, and Jim
🏨 Recording Space: Special thanks to the Eaton Hotel in Hong Kong.
📸 Cover Photo: Wiki Commons
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