Leo Ou-fan Lee, a native of China, is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Literature at Harvard University and currently Professor of Humanities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
A rich and fascinating introduction to the life and cultural
history of Hong Kong, "City Between Worlds" will add considerable
depth, excitement, and, dare I say, glamour to the material
available to readers interested in learning something about Hong
Kong beyond a guide to the usual tourist traps. Leo Lee draws on
his knowledge of Hong Kong's literary, film, and popular culture,
along with his personal experiences, to make these places
imaginatively inhabited by the past, and by a people who continue
to draw on the city's multifaceted history.--Meaghan Morris,
Professor Of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
Anecdotes and vignettes pepper Lee s book. Yet this is no elegiac
history of a colony-that-was; rather, his gentle, personal musings
read more like a declaration of love for a city full of
contradictions...Lee takes the reader on a ramble through Hong
Kong, starting at Pedder Street and ending in the New Territories.
His stance is that of the flaneur chronicling the life of a beloved
city.--Didi Kirsten Tatlow"South China Morning Post"
(05/11/2008)
Uncertainty and transience is part of [Hong Kong s] character and
in "City Between Worlds" Leo Ou-fan Lee uses a variety of
techniques--travelogue, revisionist history, cultural
deconstruction, and personal essay--to pin down what he calls this
confusion and contradiction while uncovering the deep communal
roots that often go unnoticed by outside commentators..."City
Between Worlds" balances probing intellectual analysis, fierce
criticism, and gentle warmth, all imbued with the frustrated love
any city dweller will immediately recognize as the elusive grasp to
define where one lives.--Michael Buening"PopMatters"
(06/20/2008)
[An] excellent book about the island city...Lee knows and loves
this place, which translates as "fragrant harbor." He takes the
reader through the streets and explains the history, the culture
and the sociological significance of the city. Travelers wanting to
discover the essence of Hong Kong will find this rich and
well-written book better than any conventional guide.--Bruce
Elder"Sydney Morning Herald" (07/04/2009)
[Lee's] observations, illuminated by his insightful readings of
Shanghai as well as his experiences at the Chinese University of
Hong Kong, also draw intelligent connections between society and
urban form and literature and film, including both local and
foreign observers...An extremely well-illustrated volume.--G. W.
McDonogh"Choice" (03/01/2009)
Anecdotes and vignettes pepper Lee's book. Yet this is no elegiac
history of a colony-that-was; rather, his gentle, personal musings
read more like a declaration of love for a city full of
contradictions...Lee takes the reader on a ramble through Hong
Kong, starting at Pedder Street and ending in the New Territories.
His stance is that of the flaneur chronicling the life of a beloved
city.--Didi Kirsten Tatlow"South China Morning Post"
(05/11/2008)
Assuming the double-identity of archaeologue and flaneur, Mr. Lee
mixes a wealth of allusions and historical research with an
intimate understanding of Hong Kong's lived culture and recent
political developments. The resulting peripatetic narrative takes a
freely interpretive look at the city's past and culture, as the
reader follows Mr. Lee's explications across Hong Kong's map, from
old red-light Wan Chai to modern-day Central Business District and
Tsim Sha Tsui. Refreshingly, Mr. Lee focuses on "local" Hong
Kong...It would be the greatest testament to Mr. Lee's loving,
rigorous reflection on his adopted home, if in another 10 years he
is forced to write a new book to answer the questions that face a
Hong Kong taking the first step down the road to self rule.--Paul
Mozur"Far Eastern Economic Review" (01/01/2009)
This sparkling and sometimes profound work is a guidebook in the
best sense. As Lee glides up the world's longest escalator in
central Hong Kong, he says something interesting at every
stage...This is a genuinely felt, well-informed book.--Jonathan
Mirsky"Times Literary Supplement" (01/09/2009)
Uncertainty and transience is part of [Hong Kong's] character and
in "City Between Worlds" Leo Ou-fan Lee uses a variety of
techniques--travelogue, revisionist history, cultural
deconstruction, and personal essay--to pin down what he calls this
"confusion and contradiction" while uncovering the deep communal
roots that often go unnoticed by outside commentators..."City
Between Worlds" balances probing intellectual analysis, fierce
criticism, and gentle warmth, all imbued with the frustrated love
any city dweller will immediately recognize as the elusive grasp to
define where one lives.--Michael Buening"PopMatters"
(06/20/2008)
A decade after it was handed back by the British to the Chinese,
Hong Kong continues to occupy a unique space where China and the
West appear to come together rather seamlessly. In this book, Leo
Ou-fan Lee goes in search of the "real" Hong Kong and reveals a
remarkable city and its multiple identities--the indigenous, the
colonial, the modern. A must read for anyone planning to visit and
explore this multifaceted city.
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