{"id":7313,"date":"2025-10-29T17:31:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T09:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/2025\/10\/29\/article-city-of-the-anthropocene-surreal-hong-kong-in-hon-lai-chu-and-dorothy-tses-a-dictionary-of-twin-cities\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T09:37:09","slug":"article-city-of-the-anthropocene-surreal-hong-kong-in-hon-lai-chu-and-dorothy-tses-a-dictionary-of-twin-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/10\/29\/article-city-of-the-anthropocene-surreal-hong-kong-in-hon-lai-chu-and-dorothy-tses-a-dictionary-of-twin-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"[Article] City of the Anthropocene Surreal: Hong Kong in Hon Lai-chu and Dorothy Tse&#8217;s A Dictionary of Twin Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Author: Xiaofan Amy Li<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Source: Journal of Asian Studies<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Link: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00219118-11904371\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00219118-11904371<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abstract<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article examines Hong Kongese writers Hon Lai-chu and Dorothy Tse&#8217;s cowritten A Dictionary of Twin Cities (\u96d9\u57ce\u8fad\u5178) (2012) in relation to the question of urbanity in the Anthropocene era. While much attention is paid to anglophone literature about ecological crises, discussions of how East Asian writings of the city articulate the Anthropocene in local Asian contexts remain inadequate. Focusing on urban space, sociality, and affect, this article shows that Dictionary offers surreal cityscapes that speak to specific dimensions of urban life in Hong Kong and weird nature-cultural entanglements symptomatic of the Anthropocene.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The article proposes an ecocritical reading of Dictionary, arguing that it reimagines Hong Kong as a city of the Anthropocene surreal. This demonstrates a crucial connection between Anthropocene aesthetics and surrealism, reorients our attention to the experiential and imaginary dimensions of urbanity, and helps us rethink the efficacies of literature in our time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author: Xiaofan Amy Li Source: Journal of Asian Studies Link: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00219118-11904371\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00219118-11904371<\/a> Abstract This article examines Hong Kongese writers Hon Lai-chu and Dorothy Tse&#8217;s cowritten A Dictionary of Twin Cities (\u96d9\u57ce\u8fad\u5178) (2012) in relation to the question of urbanity in the Anthropocene era. While much attention is paid to anglophone literature about ecological crises, discussions of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145170531,"featured_media":6534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[776957933],"tags":[776958152,776958155,776958156,776958112,776958076,776958116],"class_list":["post-7313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category--en","tag-anthropocene","tag-city-writing","tag-ecocriticism","tag-hong-kong-literature","tag-newsroom","tag-surrealism"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pai6UY-1TX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7151,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/10\/01\/article-neo-surrealism-in-hong-kong-the-fiction-of-hon-lai-chu-and-dorothy-tse\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":0},"title":"[Article] Neo-Surrealism in Hong Kong: The Fiction of Hon Lai-chu and Dorothy Tse","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"01\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Xiaofan Amy Li Source: Journal of Modern Literature Link: https:\/\/muse.jhu.edu\/article\/965443 Abstract Although the fiction of Hong Kong writers Hon Lai-chu and Dorothy Tse Hiu-hung are frequently described as \u201csurreal,\u201d does this term have critical purchase beyond its misleading vernacular use for anything that appears bizarre and fantastical? In Hon\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8465,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2026\/09\/01\/article-the-twinning-of-the-global-east-notes-from-south-korea-vietnam-sister-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":1},"title":"[Article] The Twinning of the Global East: Notes from South Korea-Vietnam Sister Cities","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"01\/09\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: My Hang Thi Bui Source: Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space Link: https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/23996544251407069 Abstract For nearly a century, the practice of city twinning has expanded across every inhabited continent, yet it remains largely undertheorized in geography and urban studies. Questions surrounding its global proliferation and implications become more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7307,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/10\/28\/article-free-roaming-bovids-in-hong-kong-worlding-the-more-than-human-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":2},"title":"[Article] Free-roaming bovids in Hong Kong, worlding the more-than-human care","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"28\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Zimu Zhang Source: European Journal of Cultural Studies Link: https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/13675494251322107 Abstract Living on an ailing planet undergoing the Anthropocene epoch, more-than-human care is an essential obligation we must embrace to thrive alongside multispecies communities. However, when we discuss, practice and speculate about co-living with multispecies others and building more-than-human\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8304,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2026\/07\/01\/article-hong-kong-east-drainage-tunnel-an-underground-sustainable-drainage-solution-for-enhancing-flood-resilience-in-east-hong-kong-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":3},"title":"[Article] Hong Kong East Drainage Tunnel: An underground sustainable drainage solution for enhancing flood resilience in East Hong Kong Island","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"01\/07\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: C.K.Y. Ho, P.C.K. Chu, R.W.Y. To, S.W.L. Shou, S.S.F. Chan, H.H.C. Lai Source: Connecting Communities Through Underground Infrastructure Link: https:\/\/www.taylorfrancis.com\/chapters\/oa-edit\/10.1201\/9781042001064-53\/hong-kong-east-drainage-tunnel-underground-sustainable-drainage-solution-enhancing-flood-resilience-east-hong-kong-island-ho-chu-shou-chan-lai Abstract Being one of the most densely populated cities in the World, Hong Kong faces challenges of increasing flood risk due to the more frequent and intense rainstorms as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7300,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/10\/27\/article-reading-hong-kong-literarily-across-two-generations-localism-and-translocality\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":4},"title":"[Article] Reading Hong Kong literarily across two generations: localism and translocality","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"27\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Agnes Shuk-mei Ku Source: American Journal of Cultural Sociology Link: https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1057\/s41290-025-00259-7 Abstract This article engages with recent debates in the cultural sociology of literature. Building on theories of iconicity, I propose the concept of iconic engagement to highlight variegated modes of literary engagement with reality, as well as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7476,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/12\/23\/article-towards-a-cyberpunk-translation-for-global-cities-a-study-of-kowloon-city-in-hong-kong\/","url_meta":{"origin":7313,"position":5},"title":"[Article] Towards a &#8220;Cyberpunk Translation&#8221; for Global Cities: A Study of Kowloon City in Hong Kong","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"23\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author: Song Ge Source: Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice Link: https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/0907676X.2025.2509029 Abstract This research explores the relationship between cyberpunk aesthetics and translation in the context of Kowloon City, Hong Kong. Kowloon City, with its grid-like street layout, historical tenant buildings, vibrant shop signs, and (once) low-flying airplanes, becomes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hong Kong Studies Newsroom&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/article.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/145170531"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7314,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7313\/revisions\/7314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}