Press Release
Chinese-American writer Ha Jin named 2021 Distinguished Chinese Writer of HKBU Chinese Writers' Workshop
Thursday, 09 Sep 2021
Founded by the Faculty of Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), the Chinese Writers' Workshop (CWW) will host its 2021 "Distinguished Chinese Writers Series" (DCWS) on 28 and 29 September. Renowned Chinese-American writer Ha Jin will share and interact with Hong Kong readers.
The Faculty of Arts at HKBU has long been committed to promoting creativity and developing a wide variety of creative projects. The CWW is dedicated to promoting contemporary Chinese literature and culture, aiming to present its diverse and rich literary landscape. Its autumn DCWS programme invites a distinguished and prize-winning Chinese writer each year to meet Hong Kong readers.
Born in Liaoning province, Ha Jin left mainland China for the US in 1985 to pursue his studies. He has since stayed there, teaching and writing. Since the early 1990s, he has been writing in both English and Chinese. In English, he has published nine novels (including Waiting, The Crazed, War Trash), along with short story collections, volumes of poetry, a book of essays, and a biography of legendary Chinese poet Li Bai. He has also published three books in Chinese, including the essay collection Evening Chats at Lakeview Terrace in 2021. In total, he has authored more than twenty books. He has received numerous awards, including the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Awards, and the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.
Ha Jin is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Currently he teaches fiction writing and migrant literature at Boston University, where he is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor.
During the two-day DCWS, Ha Jin will firstly address a Public Lecture about his creative experience in navigating the Chinese and English languages with Dr Ge Liang, Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at HKBU and also a novelist, and then share his writing insights at a Writing Masterclass. Please refer to Attachment 1 for the biography of Ha Jin.
As the pandemic wears on, this year's DCWS events will be held online. All events are free of charge. The public are welcome to attend.
Apart from introducing the overseas Chinese writing landscape to Hong Kong readers with the DCWS, the CWW is also keen to facilitate the development of the local literary scene in Hong Kong. The "Hong Kong Writers-in-Residence Programme" (HKWR) is the first such programme of the Faculty of Arts at HKBU to open up applications to local writers. Works of the selected writers will be translated into English and published in the CWW's bilingual anthology Lion Rock: The Anthology of Contemporary Hong Kong Literature. The 2022 HKWR is now open for applications until 4 October 2021. Please refer to Attachment 2 (Chinese only) for details.
Launched in 2020, the CWW is sponsored by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation. Professor Mette Hjort, Dean of Arts at HKBU, said, "We are immensely grateful to the Tin Ka Ping Foundation for its generous support. We must also acknowledge the gracious and supportive way in which the Tin Ka Ping Foundation collaborated with us to define the vision for our new CWW. As Dean of Arts, I expect the CWW to play a very significant role in developing the talent of creative writers in Hong Kong, the region, and globally. I also believe the CWW will encourage young people in Hong Kong to value creative writing, possibly even as an especially meaningful life path."
Further details of the DCWS and the HKWR can be found on the Facebook page of CWW. For enquiries call 3411 2446 or 3411 7173.
The public are welcome to sign up at the following webpages:
2021 DCWS Public Lecture
2021 DCWS Masterclass
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