Press Release

HKBU presents Dream of the Red Chamber Award to Malaysian Chinese novelist Chang Kuei-hsin

Thursday, 22 Oct 2020

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) presented the first prize of the 8th Dream of the Red Chamber Award on 21 October to Malaysian Chinese novelist Mr Chang Kuei-hsin (張貴興) for his novel When the Wild Boars Cross the River (《野豬渡河》).

Mr Chang expressed his gratitude on receiving the award. He said that as a writer for half his lifetime, no matter how imaginative and unrealistic his works are, they are reminiscences of his self-actualisation, memories as well as the construction and destruction of mind and body. The dull and vulgar nature of reality allows writers to create characters, scenes and stories using their own DNA, and produce, protect and nurture virtual pavilions, forts and mazes that they create against the invasion of our corrupted reality.

Mr Chang also said that When the Wild Boars Cross the River encapsulates his and his father's memories. Its prototype was inspired by his father's anecdotes during World War II and it, like the Big Bang, released room and time for imagination for writing the novel. (Please click here for Mr Chang Kuei-hsin's full address in Chinese.)

Professor Chung Ling, Chairperson of the final judging panel, said: “When the Wild Boars Cross the River appeals to the five human senses, and it describes the characters and the wild nature of the Borneo rainforest. It mainly presents the struggle between men and nature, as well as the life-or-death struggles among human races. Yet, the writer narrates in a very rational manner. The novel is a classic piece with huge tension and it captivates the reader through an interplay of masculine passion and condensed literary style.”

The ceremony was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Mette Hjort, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at HKBU, and Professor Chung Ling, Chairperson of the final judging panel, attended the ceremony as officiating guests. Mr Chang also spoke at an open lecture on the same day to share his journey of literary creation.

Born in Borneo, Malaysia, Mr Chang graduated from the Department of English at Taiwan National Normal University. He received his Taiwanese citizenship in 1981. Most of his works are set in the rainforest in Borneo, and they depict the lives and difficulties of Malaysian Chinese people. He has written a number of award-winning novels. Published in 2018, When the Wild Boars Cross the River has won several literary awards since its publication.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mr Zhang Dapeng, President of Y. Cee Chemicals Ltd., HKBU's Faculty of Arts launched The Dream of the Red Chamber Award in 2006, subsequently holding the award every two years. The award aims to encourage the publication of excellent Chinese novels, recognise outstanding Chinese novels by writers from around the world, and enhance the standard of Chinese novel writing. The winner of the main prize receives a cash prize of HK$300,000 and a blown-glass trophy made by Dr Sunny Wang from the Academy of Visual Arts at HKBU.

For details of the Award, please visit http://redchamber.hkbu.edu.hk.

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