HKADC Expresses the Deepest Condolences over the Passing of Renowned Writer Cheung Yin, Ellen (Xi Xi)

Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) expresses great sorrow over the passing of renowned writer Cheung Yin, Ellen (Xi Xi) and extends its deepest condolences to Ms Cheung’s family.

Notable literary writer in Hong Kong, Xi Xi had devoted to literature for more than half a century and remained prolific in writing in her twilight years. Her vast oeuvre encompasses many genres from modern poetry, novel, essay to film criticism and others. Her writings are marked by a distinguished style that often highlights the novel form with innovative techniques, revolving around urban life in Hong Kong with a perceptive eye and lively tone. Her noted novels including My City, A Girl Like Me, Merry Building and Volume on Xi Xi reveal a profile of Hong Kong society with such sophistication that they create a profound impact on creative writing.

Xi Xi began submitting her writings to newspapers and magazines in her junior secondary years. Upon graduation, she studied at the Grantham College of Education and worked as a teacher in various public primary schools, nurturing generations of young students. In the 1970s, she dedicated her time to creative writing and co-founded Thumb Weekly and Su Yeh Publications with Ho Fuk-yan, Sik Yin, Leung Ping-kwan (Ya Si), Wu Xubin, Shu Ming and others. They published the Su Yeh Literature journal and fueled the development of Hong Kong literature. In 1989, Xi Xi was hospitalised and, despite her recovery, mobility of her right hand weakened in the aftermath. The zealous author then continued to write with her left hand. Her experience of ill health inspired Elegy for a Breast, which was later adapted into the film 2 Become 1.

Xi Xi was crowned with multiple literary accolades. As early as in 1983, Xi Xi earned the Short Story Commendation Award at the 8^th Novel Awards by Taiwan United Daily News with A Girl Like Me. In 2019, she became the first Hong Kong writer to receive the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature of the US and the Cikada Prize of Sweden. Xi Xi was a lifetime advocate of Hong Kong literature and won the Life Achievement Award at the 16th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards by HKADC for her outstanding contributions to the Hong Kong literary scene.

With a remarkable life devoted to literature, Ms Cheung Yin has created boundless, invaluable stories of Hong Kong and will be sorely missed by the literary circle and leaders in the community. Her accomplishment and devotion to the arts will be long remembered.