SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The thesis studies the life and poetry of Dai Tian (1937-) as a Hong Kong poet. Hong Kong literature and poetry have seldom been studied by scholars in the West in past years. With the ending of British colonial rule and the handing over of the sovereignty of Hong Kong back to the Chinese on 1st July 1997, there is an urgency in the study of Hong Kong poetry to render overdue recognition to Hong Kong poets. Dai Tian was bom in China, raised in Mauritius, studied in Taiwan and the USA, and now lives in Hong Kong. In this thesis, I demonstrate that Hong Kong poetry exists and that Dai Tian is one of its foremost representatives. The thesis is in 5 chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the literary activities and development of Hong Kong from 1842-1997. A definition of Hong Kong poetry on the basis of themes will be given. The question of Hong Kong being a place of importance in poetry is raised. Chapter 2 is an account of the life of Dai Tian. Chapter 3 is the discussion of Dai Tian's poetry. Dai Tian's poetry is divided into 3 stages, the 1st stage is from 1957-1966, the 2nd stage from 1967-1980 and the stage from 1981-1990. Recurring themes like Chineseness, Chinese arts and artists, time and life, international politics, fables and cultural China are discussed. Chapter 4 is the study of Dai Tian as a Hong Kong poet. Dai Tian's poetry will be studied as representative of Hong Kong poets. The themes of anti-colonialism and Hong Kong as a periphery to Mainland China, Taiwan and the United Kingdom will be examined. Chapter 5 concludes the thesis and examines the friendship between Dai Tian and contemporary poets, Dai Tian's influence on Hong Kong poets and his plans for future writings.