Hong Kong author Xi Xi, often credited with putting city on literary map, dies aged 85

A prolific writer of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and screenplays, Xi Xi led a life that was ‘wonderful, happy and meaningful’, a publisher she co-founded said

Her imaginative writing often gave mundane events a fairy tale twist. She famously called Hong Kong a ‘floating city’ in 1984 when its return to China was sealed

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An undated photograph of Hong Kong writer Xi Xi, who has died at the age of 85. Photo: courtesy of Plain Leaves Workshop

Published: 2:39am, 19 Dec 2022Updated: 10:51am, 19 Dec 2022

Hong Kong author Xi Xi, whose whimsical tales became a defining portrait of a city transitioning away from British rule, died on Sunday, according to a publisher she co-founded. She was 85.

One of the most beloved names in Sinophone literature, she published more than 30 books of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and screenplays in a career spanning six decades.

She was often credited with putting Hong Kong on the map in the literary world.

Xi Xi died of heart failure at a Hong Kong hospital on Sunday morning surrounded by family and friends, publisher Plain Leaves Workshop said in a statement on Facebook.

An undated photograph of Hong Kong writer Xi Xi, who produced more than 30 works in various genres in a career spanning six decades. Photo: courtesy of Plain Leaves Workshop

It said her life was “wonderful, happy, as well as beneficial and meaningful”.

Her imaginative writing often gave mundane events a fairy tale twist and was an invitation to “re-examine the world with fresh eyes and childlike curiosity”, said Jennifer Feeley, who translated some of her works.