Legend and Fairy Tale: Research of the Urban Texts of Eileen Chang and Xi Xi

Abstract

As a category of literature springing up in a transition period, urban literature has more or less ingredients of modernity and territoriality. Hong Kong has unique urban characteristics thanks to its twisted fate and multiculturalism, which are the background of many writers’ works. As a result, works about Hong Kong are excellent materials for research in urban literature. Eileen Chang and Xi Xi, both born in Shanghai and settled in Hong Kong for a long time, have complexes varying from cityscape, portrayal, and living habits, which were affected by colonialism at different times. The great changes in Hong Kong during the long period of colonization are obvious in the works of these two writers, leading to different emotions. This paper chooses one fiction by Eileen Chang and Xi Xi separately to feel the pulse of the city of Hong Kong in different periods, enquiring into the colonial evolution and adding new research ideas for Hong Kong literature. By implementing this study, it can be proven that the city culture of Hong Kong in literature has changed from conflicting to self-consistent under the influence of colonialism.