Title

Emotion, Negation of Emotion, and Reality: On Stephen Soong’s (Song Qi’s) Poetics of Emotion

Author

Kwok Kou Leonard Chan

Genre

Article  

Pages

327~375

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Song Qi 宋淇, Lin Yiliang 林以亮, intellectuals who migrated south, the poetics of emotion, Hong Kong literature, Wu Xinghua 吳興華

Abstract

In recent years, scholarly and literary interest in Stephen Soong (Song Qi 宋淇, 1919–1996) has largely stemmed from his close relationship with Eileen Chang (張愛 玲, 1920–1995), in whom she placed the utmost trust. However, from the 1950s onward, for two to three decades, Stephen Soong’s alternative pseudonym, Lin Yiliang 林以亮, may have resonated more prominently across Chinese-speaking communities outside mainland China. A true polymath in the cultural sphere, Lin Yiliang made significant contributions across diverse fields. As such, he stands as a representative figure among the wave of intellectuals who migrated south to Hong Kong after 1949. Yet the earlier life of this Peking and Shanghai–based cultural figure—previously known as Song Qi 宋奇—remains relatively unknown. This article focuses on Stephen Soong’s literary activity prior to his migration to Hong Kong, when he wrote under the name Song Qi 宋奇, or Song Tifen 宋悌芬, and examines the first decade following his arrival in the British colony. It explores how his prior literary memories and experiences shaped and intervened in his new literary life. Among the many themes that connect the transition from the previous Song Qi 宋奇 to the latter Song Qi 宋淇, the motif of “emotion” emerges as particularly significant. It serves as a continuous thread running through the evolution of his literary discourses and reflects the historical and cultural meanings embedded in his shifting intellectual identity.