Xi Xu, Hong Kong Rose

Amy Lai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Ed. by John Thieme, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.4.2: Hong Kong, Singaporean, Malaysian and Myanmar Writing and Culture.

Dates

First circulation or publication 1997

Places

Hong Kong (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Like its predecessor Daughters of Hui, Xu Xi’s third book probes the gender issue. Hong Kong Rose is devoted entirely to the dilemma of Rose Kho. Born of a Chinese-Indonesian family, Rose lives perpetually under pressure from her family, her in-laws, and even Helen and Uncle Chong, who are Western and liberal-minded. As a result, she feels obliged to remain in her marriage to Paul, her bisexual husband whose sexual orientation was revealed to her only after they get married – and drag on her secret affair with Elliot, her American lover. She tries to convince herself that she has made a “pretty picture of life – family, marriage, social standing, a good job”:

That was the problem with life …

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1276 words

Citation: Lai, Amy. "Hong Kong Rose". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12474, accessed 04 May 2024.]

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