MCLC: Leung Ping-kwan memorial events in HK

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Leung Ping-kwan memorial events in HK
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Source: China Daily (1/26/14):
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2014-01/26/content_17258840.htm

Art that imitates his life's journeys
By Rebecca Lo (China Daily)

Mention Leung Ping-kwan to almost anyone in art and culture, and they
immediately say "ah". Born in 1949, Leung went by the pen name Yasi and
was one of the city's most respected writers. His acute observations and
boundless imagination left behind a large body of work in the form of
poetry, novels, essays, translations and collaborations with artists of
various media. 

Yasi was originally from Guangdong province, though his family moved to
Hong Kong when he was a baby. As a teenager, he began to publish poems in
the Chinese Student Weekly. After his first book of prose Gray Pigeon
Mornings was published in 1972, he began teaching modern Chinese
literature initially at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and then
around the world.

Yasi's passing last year prompted a collective effort by grassroots
artists and government official's safeguarding culture to mount a series
of events and exhibitions to showcase his life's works.

The three-week tribute kicked off with an opening ceremony at Central
Library officiated by Hong Kong's Under Secretary for Home Affairs
Florence Hui. "The work of professor Leung Ping-kwan reflects his journey
of life, remarkable and poetic. This exhibition not only introduces his
many journeys between East and West to the public, but also showcases his
profound contribution to Hong Kong literature."

Yasi loved local food and often wrote lyrically about his favorite meals.
Chef Leung Man-to noted that his favorite dishes were bitter melon in
black beans, steamed yam paste and fried mung bean sprouts with silver
shrimps and clams.

Fellow writer Lau Kin-wai, who worked with Yasi decades ago for the
Chinese Student Weekly, agrees. "Yasi always cross-referenced food and
literature, such as (writer)Eileen Chang did with the muffin."

Yasi was instrumental in leading the wave of contemporary Chinese writers
in US academia during the 1990s. During that time, he was a visiting
scholar at Toronto's York University and writer-in-residence in Berlin, as
well as chair professor of comparative literature in the department of
Chinese at Lingnan University, a post he held from 1997 until his passing.

Often working outside the boundaries of the written word, Yasi filmed
Moving Home, a documentary about the 1997 Hong Kong handover. The
25-minute video was shown at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and
London Film Festival. He was a prolific collaborator, often working with
photographers, actors and musicians to reinterpret his writings in a
variety of formats.

It is no wonder that the outpouring of works to commemorate Yasi could not
be contained in one venue. Journeys of Leung Ping-Kwan, held at Hong Kong
Central Library, is an exhibition of multimedia art by Yasi himself
alongside photography by Leong Ka-tai, Lee Ka-sing, another mountainman,
and many others.

The show at the Hong Kong Fringe Club included an opening night of short
performances inspired by Yasi. Bonnie Chan, actress and founder of the
local troupe Theater du Pif, opened with a dramatic act on a ladder.

In the center of the gallery, artist Andy Yung worked with Hong Kong
farmer Au Lau-kan on a trellis of bitter melon, paying homage to one of
Yasi's favorite vegetables. A poetry reading by Arthur Leung and a violin
solo by Kung Chi-shing stirred the crowd.

And of course there are Yasi's best-known works, alongside art that he
inspired, exhibited throughout the Fringe.

It is a fitting send-off to a man who touched many lives with his unique
viewpoint of being Chinese in Hong Kong.

IF YOU GO
Exhibition Galleries 1-3, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway
Road, Causeway Bay. 11am - 8pm, until Jan 28. 852-9184-6984.

Yasi* We Friend: A Cross-Media Response Exhibition to Leung Ping-kwan,
Anita Chan Lai-Ling Gallery, Hong Kong Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road,
Central. Noon - 10pm. 852-2521-7251.