Black Sun

Darkness Under The Sun

Even if the city is covered with bricks, there is still tenderness that tyranny cannot take away.

The most astonishing dangerous city in the early 21st century writes about the firmness and insight in the face of the uncertainty of life and death.

"So literary, so ingenious, so profound, so resolute, yet so hopeless,
Under the shadow of Black Sun, it is the Hong Kong that we hold in our hearts day and night. ----Ping Lu

Between April and November 2019, Hong Kong underwent a dreamlike transformation. From peaceful protests to erupting clashes, the city practically became a war zone. Tear gas, indiscriminate violence, bodies of unexplained deaths, and mass arrests became a daily occurrence. Yet, this collapse of order also forced people to re-evaluate their lives, beliefs, and values, rethinking their relationships with one another and with the city itself.

Living in Hong Kong, Han Lizhu has witnessed firsthand the profound transformations of this bustling city. For eight months, she wrote relentlessly, confronting the daily thrills of life while also using her unique insight to perceive the subtle, hidden changes and the hope inherent in them.

She sees a rediscovery of values ​​in Hong Kong, the world's financial capital:
"Over the past four months, city dwellers have transitioned from years of being manipulated by salaries and property prices to reclaiming their rights through economic means like withdrawing cash, canceling household registration, and converting savings into foreign currency. Most people here have seen through prices, transcending them, and are once again appreciating the value of people and things."

She saw that the regime threatened people's lives, but people had the power to connect:
"The regime taunts, 'Do you want to become water? Then I'll throw you into the sea.' The regime fears the sea, because every sea is made up of many drops of water, and the sea can become waves and even tsunamis. So, they strive to break the sea into isolated drops, making us believe we are just a timid, easily evaporated drop. Connection may sometimes hurt, but it ultimately makes everyone stronger, becoming an unstoppable sea."

In her writing, Hong Kong is both wounded and transformed:
"In the past, people always said this was a rootless city. This summer, the city finally grew roots. These roots, formed from so many wounds, have become our shared identity."

Han Lizhu's previous novels have been tinged with surrealism. In her latest essay collection, "Black Sun," reality looms in a different light, presenting itself as extreme situations and a broken order. Yet, in this literary author's vision and writing, a humanistic brilliance shines forth, unobscured by even the most shabby bricks and tiles.

Black Sun is a rare, pure voice in our present time and space at the dawn of the 21st century, emanating from Hong Kong to the world. A work like Black Sun allows us to see how humanity and literature can be a fearless, incredibly resilient, and gentle force in the face of systemic violence.

Features of this book

Where is humanity headed in the 21st century? Can there be a solution to the relentless oppression and conflict around the world? These questions may not be answered in the near future, but Han Lizhu's book allows us to see the power of literature. Its gentle observations and reflections, its courage in the face of a police force and government system far more powerful than itself, and its resilience in not giving up hope are voices that the world should hear.

Celebrity recommendations

People from all walks of life in Taiwan and Hong Kong jointly recommend:
Wang Haowei (doctor, writer)
Ping Lu (writer)
Shen Xuhui (International Relations Scholar)
Ma Shifang (writer, host)
Sun Ziping (writer)
Huang Liqun (writer)
Anthony Wong (musician)
Liao Weitong (writer)
Gu Yuling (social activist)
The above are arranged by the number of strokes of the name

2020-01-22

衛城出版

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