Indelible City

Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong is a 2022 book by Louisa Lim, published by Riverhead Books, discussing Hong Kong.

First edition

In the work she reconciles with her Hong Kong identity while perceiving a drastic decline in Hong Kong. Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times wrote that the work is "unapologetically personal".[1]

Background

Lim, of Eurasian ancestry,[2] has heritage from an ethnic Chinese Singaporean father and a British mother.[3] She worked as a journalist, living in China for around 10 years, and having experience working for BBC and National Public Radio (NPR). She stated that her level of speaking Cantonese was "shamefully basic" but she identifies as a Hong Konger regardless.[2]

Lim used the National Archives of the United Kingdom as part of her research.[1]

Contents

Lim argues that it is impossible to be unconcerned about political affairs whilst being a Hong Konger. Amy Qin of The New York Times wrote that Lim had her "sharpest criticism" aimed at the government of the United Kingdom, instead of that of China, and that Lim explored a history of Hong Kong that is influenced by neither China nor the UK. A section discusses the legal actions Tsang Tsou-choi took against land appropriation until his death.[2]

The initial part of the book covers the 2019 Hong Kong protests where Lim feels conflict in needing to protect her homeland versus needing to cover the event in a neutral way for journalism.[3]

Reception

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, concluding that it "is a vivid and vital contribution to postcolonial history."[4]

Joshua Wallace of Tarleton State University, writing for Library Journal, gave the book a starred review and described it as "A fascinating work".[5]

Awards and recognition

Indelible City was shortlisted for the 2023 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Nonfiction[6] and the 2023 Stella Prize.[7]

See also

References
  1. Szalai, Jennifer (2022-04-19). "A Deeply Personal Look at the Past, Present and Future of Hong Kong". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  2. Qin, Amy (2022-05-18). "In Hong Kong, the Search for a Single Identity". New York Times. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  3. Smith, Michael (2022-05-20). "Vanishing Hong Kong: 'I knew I was crossing a line but I didn't care'". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  4. "Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong". Publishers Weekly. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  5. Wallace, Joshua (April 2022). "Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  6. "The 2023 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  7. Harmon, Steph (2023-03-29). "Stella prize 2023 shortlist: small publishers dominate Australian literary award". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
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