INTERSECTION: WHAT IS HONG KONG’S HEARTBEAT? EAST OR WEST?

Abstract

This article presents a postcolonial analysis of the short story Intersection (1972), by Liu Yichang. To provide context, the article begins by outlining postcolonial theory and examining how colonial forces have influenced literature, reviewing the historical development of the theory. In addition, the study provides a concise historical overview of colonial Hong Kong to better contextualize its literature, which carries deep marks of colonialism. In this sense, the short story is analyzed through the lens of postcolonial theory. The analysis concludes that Intersection is, in many aspects, a postcolonial literary work, due to its structure and content, which resists the Eurocentric styles of writing and breaks stereotypes associated with the East by the West. However, the text also presents Eurocentric influences, particularly in its gender representation. The female character, Ah Said, embodies negative traits associated with the West, while the male character, Chunyu Bai, embodies the positive traits of the East, which can be interpreted as a misogynistic representation.