Tung Chiao is one of the well-known essayists in Hong Kong. Since 1990s, there have been in Hong Kong and Mainland China an upsurge that resolved around Tung Chiao’s works. His works, in the form of essays, can be divided into two phases: it is suggested in the former phase that the contents were related to topical issues, whereas in the later phase, he raised more concern on past experience of people as well as antique collection and its description. The concept of time is very important in Tung’s essays, in which the former phase represents the present time, whereas the later phase considers the past time. Therefore, it has been criticized that Tung’s collection during the later stage has lost the significance in reflection of reality, indicative of a passive “retraction”....[ Read more ]

Tung Chiao is one of the well-known essayists in Hong Kong. Since 1990s, there have been in Hong Kong and Mainland China an upsurge that resolved around Tung Chiao’s works. His works, in the form of essays, can be divided into two phases: it is suggested in the former phase that the contents were related to topical issues, whereas in the later phase, he raised more concern on past experience of people as well as antique collection and its description. The concept of time is very important in Tung’s essays, in which the former phase represents the present time, whereas the later phase considers the past time. Therefore, it has been criticized that Tung’s collection during the later stage has lost the significance in reflection of reality, indicative of a passive “retraction”.

In my thesis, the authenticity of the above judgment has been thoroughly examined with an argument that Tung’s works during the later stage were not in pessimistic mood. Instead, it is still represented in his attitude a full sense of struggle. The first part of my thesis is the internal study of Tung’s essays, in which decontextualization as research methodology has been used to materialize the change in time throughout the analysis of his essays. As far as his process of creation is concerned, all his works, in style, can be divided into three stages:

1. Early Phase: the narratives in description of topical issues;

2. Middle Phase: the romances of story roles;

3. The latest phase: the descriptive essays in description of antiques and other old items.

By virtue of the framework suggested, “evolution” of Tung’s essays from early to the latest phase has been analyzed, suggesting that the condition of time of his collection changes continuously from the present time to the past time.

In the second part of the dissertation, to combine the historical context with Tung’s essays, it is aimed to find out reasons underneath the “change in time”, in which, it can be said that the writing of the past time during the latest stage is what represents Tung’s “silent resistance” against modernity. This silent resistance creates a “petite récit of cultural history” beyond the grand narrative of political history for the history of the literati and ladies in Chinese Republican era, antiques and old items. The histories of the literati, ladies and antiques are not in particular important in the grand narrative, so a special term “petite récit (minor narrative)” has been adopted so that this kind of cultural history can be entitled to contrast against the grand narrative of modern political history. Tung aimed to create a space of petite récit of cultural history in remembrance of the history that has been fading out in modern time. Against this background, memory has become his weapon in an attempt to resist the development of modern society. With his effort of silent resistance, Tung has created a space of petite récit of cultural history that is beyond the grand narrative. In so doing, it has enlarged the territory of historical writing, representing the most positive meaning of Tung’s later writing.