Skip to content

Book Talk Series

Book talk #14 features Prof. Chu Yiu-Wai Stephen discussing his latest book, “Hong Kong Pop Culture in the 1980s: A Decade of Splendour”.

(Amsterdam University Press, 2023)

Book Abstract

This book deals with the 1980s – the “golden decade” of Hong Kong pop culture – in which a cosmopolitan lifestyle of pop and chic emerged in the city. Bookended by two major historical incidents, the 1980s will probably enter the annals of Hong Kong history as the decade that defined its future after reversion to Mainland China. Having witnessed and experienced the rise of Hong Kong pop culture to unprecedented heights in this decade, the author enhances its context through a story about his own personal belongings. Examining popular genres including television, film, music, fashion, disco and city magazine, this book teases out the distinctive aspects of Hong Kong pop culture that defined (his) Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has been undergoing drastic changes in recent years, it is necessary to point toward new imaginaries by re-examining its development. Toward this end, this book will shed light on an important research area of Hong Kong Studies as an academic discipline.

Yiu-Wai Chu is Inaugural Professor and Director of Hong Kong Studies Programme at The University of Hong Kong, and Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Humanities. His research interests focus on postcolonialism, globalization and Hong Kong culture. His recent English monographs include Main Melody Films: Hong Kong Directors in Mainland China(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022), Found in Transition: Hong Kong Studies in the Age of China(Albany: SUNY Press, 2018), Hong Kong Cantopop: A Concise History (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2017), and Lost in Transition: Hong Kong Culture in the Age of China (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2013). In recognition of his contribution to the promotion of Hong Kong culture and Cantopop, the South China Morning Post presented him the Spirit of Hong Kong Award (Culture) in 2019.

To obtain a physical copy of the book, please visit the following website: https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463728669/hong-kong-pop-culture-in-the-1980s.

Should you have any questions about this event, please feel free to email us at [email protected].


Book Talk #14 –
Date: April 18, 2024 (Thursday)
Time: 5:00p.m. – 6:30p.m. Hong Kong time
Format: Hybrid
Language: English


Preview of the book talk series:

#14 Hong Kong Pop Culture in the 1980s with Chu Yiu-Wai Stephen on April 18, 2024 (Thursday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid

#15 Multiracial Britishness: Global Networks in Hong Kong, 1910-45 with Vivian Kong in June 2024; Hybrid

Past book talks:

#1 Hong Kong Takes Flight: Commercial Aviation and the Making of a Global Hub, 1930s–1998 by John D. Wong (HKU) on October 7, 2022 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; In-person

#2 Hong Kong Visual Culture: The M+ Guide by Tina Pang (M+) on November 4, 2022 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; In-person

#3 英國檔案中的香港前途問題 by Gary Cheung (CityU) on November 18, 2022 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; In-person

#4 Building Colonial Hong Kong: Speculative Development and Segregation in the City by Cecilia L. Chu (HKU) on November 25, 2022 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid

#5 Political Censorship in British Hong Kong: Freedom of Expression and the Law (1842–1997) by Michael Ng (HKU) on December 9, 2022 (Friday) at 17:00HKT; Hybrid

#6 Hong Kong Foodways (Hong Kong Matters) by Sidney Cheung (CUHK) on January 13, 2023 (Friday) at 17:00HKT; In-person

#7 New Territories 界 by Justin Hui on February 3, 2023 (Friday) at 9:00p.m. GMT+8; Online

#8 Hilton Cheong-Leen ( 張有興 ): First Chinese ‘Mayor’ of Hong Kong by Gary Cheung & Oliver Chou on April 28, 2023 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid

#9 Unsettling Exiles: Chinese Migrants in Hong Kong and the Southern Periphery During the Cold War by Angelina Chin (Pomona College) on 12 May 2023 (Friday) at 1:00p.m. GMT+8; Online

#10 Covert colonialism: Governance, surveillance and political culture in British Hong Kong, c. 1966-97 with Florence Mok (Nanyang Technological University) on September 15, 2023 (Friday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid

#11 Hongkongers in the British Armed Forces, 1860-1997 with Chi Man Kwong (HKBU) on November 14, 2023 (Tuesday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid

#12 Accomplice to Memory with Q.M. Zhang on November 17, 2023 (Friday) at 09:00a.m. GMT+8; Online

#13 香江佳城——香港華人古墓兩千年史 with 梁基永 on January 11, 2024 (Thursday) at 5:00p.m. GMT+8; Hybrid