Newman Prize for Chinese Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (2019) Winner
Xi Xi (Cheung Yin / Zhang Yan)
シーシー（チョウ エン）
Xi Xi (Cheung Yin / Zhang Yan)
Pen Names:
Xi Xi（Pseudonym used for literary work. She explained the character 西 in her pen name as a pictogram related to a childhood game.）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1937-10-07 （Pudong, Shanghai, Republic of China）
- Died
- 2022-12-18 （Hong Kong） age 85
- Nationality
- China, Hong Kong
- Languages
- Cantonese, Standard Chinese (Mandarin), English
- Residence History
- Shanghai (birth and early childhood) → Hong Kong (from 1950)
Career
- Occupations
- teacher, novelist, poet, essayist, translator, screenwriter, editor
- Active Years
- 1955-2022
- Affiliations
- Su Yeh Publications
- Influenced
- Later generations of Hong Kong writers and poets
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heep Yunn School | — | — | — | — | Hong Kong |
| Grantham College of Education | — | — | — | 1957– | Hong Kong |
Heep Yunn School
Country:
Hong Kong
Secondary school; some instruction in Cantonese during her attendance.
Grantham College of Education
Period:
1957–
Country:
Hong Kong
One of the constituent colleges later merged into Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Newman Prize for Chinese Literature | — | — | Newman Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Cikada Prize | — | — | Swedish organization for the Cikada Prize | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize | Not Written Words (English translation) | — | Lucien Stryk Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Recommended Novella Prize (United Daily News) | A Woman Like Me | — | United Daily News | 受賞 |
Newman Prize for Chinese Literature
2019
Organization:
Newman Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Cikada Prize
2019
Organization:
Swedish organization for the Cikada Prize
Result:
受賞
Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize
2017
Work:
Not Written Words (English translation)
Organization:
Lucien Stryk Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Recommended Novella Prize (United Daily News)
1983
Work:
A Woman Like Me
Organization:
United Daily News
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
My City
1979 Novel (serial) / Youth literatureOriginally serialized in a newspaper, it portrays Hong Kong urban life through young people's eyes, addressing overcrowding and academic pressure among other issues.
urbanizationyouthmemory
Adaptations
- [documentary film] My City (documentary) / Fruit Chan (2015)
Translations
Deer Hunt
1982 historical novelA historical novel inspired by Qing dynasty history, depicting court conspiracies and imperial reminiscence.
historypowermemory
Mourning a Breast
1992 semi-autobiographical novel / illness literatureBased on her 1989 breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, this work records her physical and emotional experiences; complications led to loss of right-hand function and she later wrote with her left hand.
illness and recoveryembodimentself-narration
Adaptations
- [feature film (inspired by)] 2 Become 1 (2006)
Translations
- English translation by Jennifer Feeley (New York Review Books, 2024)
Flying Carpet
1999 novel (with historical allegory)Using allegorical places such as Fertillia and Dragonland, it covers a century of Hong Kong's transformations across generations.
historytransformationintergenerational
A Woman Like Me
1983 short story collectionA collection of short stories written between 1976 and 1982; introduced in Taiwan and awarded the United Daily News Recommended Novella Prize.
womendaily lifeself-observation
Translations
- English introduction/translation included in A Girl Like Me and other stories (Renditions, 1986)
Not Written Words
2016 poetry collection (English translation)Published in English translation and recipient of the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize.
poetic fragmentsmemoryobservations of daily life
Bibliography
- My City
- Deer Hunt
- A Woman Like Me
- Mourning a Breast
- Flying Carpet
- The Teddy Bear Chronicles
- Not Written Words
Adaptations
- Mourning a Breast inspired the film '2 Become 1' (2006, starring Miriam Yeung)
- My City was the subject of Fruit Chan's 2015 documentary 'My City'
Translations of Works
- Mourning a Breast — English translation by Jennifer Feeley (New York Review Books, 2024)
- Not Written Words — English translation (Zephyr Press, 2016)
- A Woman Like Me — partly presented in English (Renditions, 1986)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- observational narrationlyrical style with humor and ironydetailed depiction of everyday life
- Recurring Motifs
- city and memorynostalgia for disappearing shops and streetscapesfemale body and illnessintergenerational change
Health
-
breast cancer1989–1990年代（診断は1989年）Diagnosed in 1989; surgical complications resulted in loss of right-hand function by 1999 and she continued writing with her left hand. The experience influenced her work thematically.
Legacy
Regarded as a significant Hong Kong writer and poet, her works have been taught in schools and translated abroad. In later years she received international translation and literary prizes and exerted substantial influence on contemporary Hong Kong literature.
Museums
- Chinese University of Hong Kong Library (donated teddy bears) Chinese University of Hong Kong Library (Hong Kong)
- Portrait Gallery of Chinese Writers at Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University Library
Archives
- Su Yeh Publications archives (Hong Kong)
In Popular Culture
- Mentioned in connection with a Cantonese dub of 'South Park' where Kathy Lee Gifford is dubbed as Xi Xi
Trivia
- Her pen name 'Xi Xi' is said to derive from a pictogram evoking a childhood game (hopscotch).
- She long believed her birth year to be 1938 based on her Hong Kong identity card; family documents later showed 1937.
- The essay 'Shops' was adopted as reading material for the HKCEE Chinese language exam.
- 'Mourning a Breast' inspired the 2006 film '2 Become 1'.
- She received the Newman Prize and the Cikada Prize in 2019.