[Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997:
All Entries]

TH: Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997, in 28 sections, was written originally in Chinese by Mary Wong and serialised in Ming Pao 明報 in 1997. The pieces, translated into English by Chris Song, are serialised in Cha beginning from Monday 25 September 2023.

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Half A Lifelong Romance

6/28

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^{This is a film still from Eighteen Springs (1997), directed by Ann Hui and adapted from Eileen Chang’s novel, Half a Lifelong Romance (1947).}

One leisurely Sunday, Kwong amused herself with the idea of buying a new outfit for her company’s upcoming movie premiere. Inspired by the red flags dotted around the city streets, she thought about getting a red shirt and skirt with yellow polka dots, but she found it difficult to imagine being wrapped in a flag. “Why not decide after the movie,” I suggested, giving her more time to think.

As she stepped into the cinema, she was reminded that this was where she had her first movie date with Bigfeet. He had been half an hour late because he had to show a property to a client in the New Territories. At that time, they were just acquaintances, and he’d apologised in a tone so formal it was almost business-like—reiterating his remorse at least ten times throughout the evening. After the movie, they hastily slurped down bowls of Japanese noodles before he rushed off to his Mandarin class. Nineteen ninety-seven was approaching, and with an influx of mainland clients looking to rent properties in Hong Kong, he was eager to improve his language skills. She felt comforted by his ambition, escorting him to school, fantasising about their future in a cosy home. Now, years later, the cinema retained its unique lingering aroma, its sense of enclosure, making her wonder if the very breath they’d once shared might still hover in some dim corner.

The movie had not yet started, but the first tear had already trickled down her cheek in the darkness. But she still reached for my popcorn, a gesture that reassured me. On the screen, the dance of light and shadow captured the fervent embrace between Manzhen and Shijun, their reflections trembling in a mirror as if even the cinema hesitated to believe yet dared not interrupt this transmigratory reunion of lovers. As the credits rolled, the audience buzzed with opinions. “Nanjing and Shanghai are so close. Why doesn’t she just go find him? I don’t get it,” said one man dressed in a suit, seeking a “female perspective” from his girlfriend. “It’s like characters in a Yi Shu novel—the wealthy and well-housed women always seem to struggle with finding the meaning of life,” said a young woman. Kwong stepped out of the cinema, speechless. She’d been moved by the love story, but I hoped she also saw the resilience and solidity of the female protagonist. “It wasn’t bad at all. We can’t always trust the critics,” she said finally.

How to cite: Song, Chris and Mary Wong. “Half A Lifelong Romance.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 30 Sept. 2023, chajournal.blog/2023/09/30/romances.

Mary Shuk-Han Wong 黃淑嫻 (author) is a Hong Kong writer. Her short story collection Surviving Central (中環人; 2013) received the “25th Secondary School Students’ Best Ten Books Award.” Her essay collections include How to Live the Sad Days (悲傷的日子如何過; 2021), Against the Grain (亂世破讀; 2017), and From Kafka (理性的遊藝：從卡夫卡談起; 2015). She has also published an online poetry collection, Cave Whispers (絕地抒情; 2022), in collaboration with Hong Kong composer and photographer. She was the co-producer and literary advisor of two literary documentaries: 1918: Liu Yichang (1918：劉以鬯紀錄片; 2015) and Boundary: Leung Ping Kwan (東西：也斯紀錄片; 2015).

Chris Song (translator) is a poet, editor, and translator from Hong Kong, and is an assistant professor in English and Chinese translation at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He won the “Extraordinary Mention” of the 2013 Nosside International Poetry Prize in Italy and the Award for Young Artist (Literary Arts) of the 2017 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. In 2019, he won the 5th Haizi Poetry Award. He is a founding councilor of the Hong Kong Poetry Festival Foundation, executive director of the International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong, and editor-in-chief of Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine. He also serves as an advisor to various literary organisations.

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