6/27/2023 0 Comments The impossible city book"But what does the way of life look like? Why are we still trying to fight for it rather than choosing to flee?"Ĭheung's search for answers leads her to create an archive of the city's vanishing way of life through depictions of neighborhoods, cultural practices and people. "We protest because we want to 'preserve our way of life,'" Cheung writes. The protests against these forces have been well documented, but, through a blend of memoir and reportage, Cheung asks readers to step back and consider what's really at stake. Hong Kong, Cheung reports, is changing immeasurably under pressures of gentrification and China's authoritarian crackdown on its freedom. Cheung is acutely aware of the city's abysmal failings: its hyper-capitalism, bureaucracy, corruption and limited voting rights. There's a terrific mix of youthfulness and gravitas to Karen Cheung's poignant debut, "The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir." Yes, this is a love letter to Hong Kong, but it's one free of romanticized illusion.
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