HKBU presents Dream of the Red Chamber Award to novelist Ge Liang for Food is Heaven
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) presented the first prize of the 10th Dream of the Red Chamber Award to Professor Ge Liang for his novel Food is Heaven at the prize presentation ceremony held on November 22, 2024 (Friday).
Professor Ge expressed his gratitude for being awarded the first prize at the ceremony. He said that in recent years since the publishing of Scarlet Finch and Paper Hawk, he has devoted himself to exploring in his literary works the concrete expressions of traditional Chinese culture. Every form of intangible cultural heritage that he has encountered during his research and writing was a testimony of time accrued over hundreds or even thousands of years.
He said: “Food is Heaven leverages on cuisines as the entry point. The choice of this perspective is a realisation of Lingnan culture after years of observation. Lingnan culture carries the characteristics of an ocean, having a natural, sensuous and primal structure, as well as an open, diversified and all-embracing humanistic quality. Serving as a prominent historical and cultural symbol of Guangdong, cuisines are a convergence of all these characteristics.”
Please click here for Professor Ge Liang’s full address at the ceremony (Chinese only).
Professor Chung Ling, Chairman of the judging panel of the 10th Dream of the Red Chamber Award and Emeritus Professor of HKBU, remarked that Food is Heaven meticulously and thoroughly depicts Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisines. The specifics of the dishes are seamlessly woven into the characters’ interactions and plot, presenting the tasting experience and the aesthetics of gastronomy in a natural manner. She added: “Food is Heaven showcases robust and rich folk traditions, with vivid character portrayals and content that demonstrate both breadth and depth. It stands as an extraordinary work distinguished by its meticulous structure, exceptional skill and captivating narrative.”
The ceremony was officiated by Ms Eve Tam, Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government; Ms Winsome Chow, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council; Professor Lawrence Zhang, representative of the Zhang Da Peng Endowment Fund; Ms Zhao Ping, Deputy Chief Editor of People’s Literature Publishing House and Editor-in-charge of Food is Heaven; Mr Yu Keling, Chief Editor and Deputy General Manager of the Joint Publishing HK; Mr Chan Koon-chung, renowned writer; and Dr Enoch Tam, President of Typesetter Publishing.
Officiating guests from HKBU included Mr Paul Poon, Deputy Chairman of the Council and Court; Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor; Professor Ng Ching-fai, President Emeritus; Dr Albert Chau, Vice-President (Teaching and Learning); Professor Daniel Lai, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Professor Chung Ling.
After the ceremony, Professor Ge and Mr Chan Koon-chung engaged in a discussion on the Lingnan culture, and the narrative and historical writing of Guangdong and Hong Kong during the “Writers in Dialogue” session. They shared insights on the relationship between their novel writing, Lingnan culture and Chinese culture, as well as their perspectives on Cantonese, Hong Kong and history writing.
Professor Ge Liang is a globally celebrated author, currently serving as Professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, the Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at HKBU. He is the author of the novels Food is Heaven, Paper Hawk, Scarlet Finch, Hidden Spirit and Hair Cutting, as well as the cultural essays Reflection of the World and Pears and Dates. His works have been translated into multiple languages including English, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Korean.
Professor Ge has garnered prestigious accolades, including the 8th Lu Xun Literary Prize, one of the leading Chinese-language literary awards in the world; the annual book award by the China Society for Book Review; the special prize from the jury of the book award by Tencent and Commercial Daily; and the 1st and 14th Hong Kong Book Prize. His magnum opus, Scarlet Finch, Paper Hawk and Food is Heaven, have been recognised as “Top Ten Chinese Novels” by Yazhou Zhoukan. Paper Hawk and Food is Heaven have also been nominated as finalists for the esteemed 10th and 11th Mao Dun Literature Prize respectively. Professor Ge is also named the Artist of the Year (Literary Arts) of the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, Southern People Weekly’s Person of the Year, the Global Chinese-language Writer of the Year and the Cross-Straits Writer of the Year.
The Dream of the Red Chamber Award, held biennially by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at HKBU, is sponsored by Mr Zhang Dapeng, President of Y. Cee Chemicals Limited. It aims to encourage the publication of excellent Chinese novels, recognise outstanding Chinese novels by writers from around the world, and enhance the standards, quality, and global reputation of Chinese novel writing. The winner of the first prize receives HK$300,000 and a certificate, as well as a trophy designed by the artist Mr Enoch Cheung. For further details about the Award, please visit its Facebook Page.
