Interview with Atom Cheung - Hong Kong Based Writer
Christopher KL Lau
Beyond the bright lights of the main business areas of Hong Kong is a thriving art and cultural scene. Dedicated individuals are following their passions to produce content which reflects the heart and soul of the city which many call home.
One such person is Atom Cheung, a Hong Kong radio presenter who is also a writer who likes to reflect on the human stories and idiosyncrasies of this 24/7 city.
Cheung is a short story writer and he sees the city as his muse and inspiration. He was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Canada and despite the geographic distance, Hong Kong was never far from this thoughts.
Cheung seeks to continue to use the city as a source of inspiration and in an exclusive interview, he shared his views on the art and cultural scene in Hong Kong.
Cheung was asked about his writing style and the content he likes to produce. He discusses his style which is 'experimental' writing.
"I would say my writing style is experimental and I like to write short stories which are experimental and plot-less. I do not like to write stories with a pre-set plot. I am very drawn to moments and characters, in terms of the way they think. I try and fulfill more on the moments that have happened and I try to let that play itself out instead of me planning the beginning, middle and end or how the story is going to end.
For me it always starts with a scene. For example, two people sitting in a restaurant next to a big window and what is going on in their minds and the protagonist's mind and what happens after this. It maybe not be anything dramatic and it may just be something like, he pays the bill and leaves the restaurant and goes home and on his way home, maybe, he has some bubble thoughts in his head and then little by little, the internal conflict comes out though it may come out in more concrete representations."
Many see Hong Kong as a city that is full of hustle and bustle and some see the city as a muse which inspires them and sparks their imagination. Cheung discussed if the city fueled his imagination.
"I can only speak for myself and it definitely inspires me! I mean for very personal reasons because I was born here and when I lived in Canada, I found that I was always writing about Hong Kong. Also I like to write about cities and I like to write about urban life."
"I am very drawn to streets and pedestrians and buildings and the windows and the things which happen inside those windows and how people interact and what happens in the city. I am not good at writing about nature and it is not really my interest. I never grew up in that environment and I was always more of a city and urban person so yes, Hong Kong inspires me."
As a city, Hong Kong has a population of over 7 million people and Cheung stressed that there are definitely over 7 million plus stories to be shared. In truth, everyone has a story to be told and if you speak to most people then they have a fascinating story.
"Yes, definitely and a lot more than that. Of course as a person can have multiple stories and even multiple personas."
Atom Cheung has published his experimental work before in the form of a short stories. He published a book called "Anxious Headlights and Parallelograms" which is an entertaining read and focuses more on the thoughts of the two main characters in a very normal and simple setting. The story deals more with the stories and complexities of human relationships.
"Two years ago, I published a book called "Anxious Headlights and Parallelograms." It is actually a short story which I made into a book which contains, in addition, to the story itself, my handwritten manuscript, some photos and some poetry.
That story is experimental plot-less fiction and for people who ask what it is about, it is very hard to explain. Basically it started with a story of a boy and a girl who are eating in McDonald's after watching a movie and things happen to them after they finish eating and they end up crossing the street in Tsim Sha Tsui and on the surface it seems that not much happens. It is more about the psychological interplay while they are doing what they are doing."
Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world and to sustain a living in the arts is hugely challenging. Sadly some cannot see a sustained career in the arts though Cheung always expresses his desire to encourage youngsters not give up on their dream and to still push forward if they wish to have a career in the arts.
"I may have given up a long time ago on developing the literary scene and I would say that it starts with education in schools. I do not think it means in terms of teaching 'literature to kids' but more in terms of allowing kids the opportunity to pursue writing as a career interest.
Giving them this either though workshops and activities and to let them know that creative writing is possible as a serious hobby. Working for a newspaper would not be creative writing and I have not met anyone who does creative writing as a career. It goes back to teaching and people need to have have an open mind. They place this dream away as someone tells them they will not make money or you should be doing this and this and then they give up.
One way to develop creative writing is for people to step in along the journey and say "Hey, you can do it and just do it and this is how you do it." I used to be a teacher and I used to get a sense when a student wanted to do something and I used to tell them to just go and do it."
All writers have a favourite author or muse and Cheung was happy to share his and his sources of inspiration come from an array of backgrounds and styles and from all around the world.
"I have three favourite writers. I am a big fan of Katherine Mansfield. She wrote short stories and she is well known for The Garden Party which is a favourite of mine. She is from New Zealand and I have always wanted to go to Wellington and see her house. I am also a fan of James Joyce and his book Dubliners. I am also a big fan of Sherwood Anderson. He wrote short stories of people in a small town in Ohio, in the USA."
Thank you!
Book Hotel Accommodation in Hong Kong China
Book Hotels in Hong Kong - Booking.com
Hotels in Hong Kong - Agoda
Find Hotels in Kowloon - Booking.com
Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong
Search Hotels in Macau - Booking.com
Venetian Macau Resort Hotel
Budget Hotels in Hong Kong - Booking.com