What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to examine the intertwining of politics and adventure fiction in Eileen Chang’s narrative within Hong Kong's cultural context.

March 25, 2026Open Access

Apolitical or Political: Idealistic Love Pursuits Through the Expression of Individualism and Aestheticism in Eileen Chang's 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン Love in a Fallen City (傾城之戀)

Key Points

The aim is to examine the intertwining of politics and adventure fiction in Eileen Chang’s narrative within Hong Kong's cultural context.
Analyzing Eileen Chang's works, focusing on "Love in a Fallen City,"
Evaluating primary sources from HKU Archives and USC Libraries’ Special Collection
Exploring recent scholarly discoveries in Eileen Chang Studies.
Found new interpretations of individualism and aestheticism in Chang's narratives.
Identified connections between war and politics in Chang's literary themes.
Contributed to the discourse on Hong Kong's cultural history.

Abstract

In 2020, The University of Hong Kong 香港大学 celebrated the centennial birth of its alumni Eileen Chang 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン with materials from the HKU Archives. In 2022, a new translation of Eileen Chang’s 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン story “Xiang Jian Huan” was discovered from the Ailing Zhang 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン papers of USC Libraries’s Special Collection. Echoing recent discoveries in the Eileen Chang 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン Studies, this project ponders upon the motif of politics and adventure fiction within the cultural landscape of Hong Kong. Re-assessing the role of war in historicity, this paper hopes to contribute to new understandings in Hong Kong Studies.

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Apolitical or Political: Idealistic Love Pursuits Through the Expression of Individualism and Aestheticism in Eileen Chang's 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン Love in a Fallen City (傾城之戀)

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Also Consider

Also Consider

Apolitical or Political: Idealistic Love Pursuits Through the Expression of Individualism and Aestheticism in Eileen Chang's 張愛玲 アイリーン・チャン Love in a Fallen City (傾城之戀)

Key Points

Abstract

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider

Apolitical or Political: Idealistic Love Pursuits Through the Expression of Individualism and Aestheticism in Eileen Chang's 張愛玲アイリーン・チャン Love in a Fallen City (傾城之戀)