Research on Literary Supplements in Hong Kong Contemporary Newspapers in the Context of Digital Humanities

On June 30, the academic seminar "Research on Literary Supplements in Hong Kong Contemporary Newspapers in the Context of Digital Humanities" was held online. The seminar was hosted by the School of Chinese Language and Literature of South China Normal University, the Center for Aesthetic Culture and Critical Theory of South China Normal University, and the Greater Bay Area Cross-border Cultural Research Center of South China Normal University. Thirty-five faculty members and students from universities in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao attended the event.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Ling Yu from the School of Chinese Language and Literature of South China Normal University elaborated on the overall progress of the major National Social Science Foundation bidding project "Compilation and Research on Literary Supplements in Hong Kong Contemporary Newspapers (1949-2022)" from four aspects: research objectives and significance, overall research approach, research content and methods, and research plans and arrangements.

Sub-project leaders, including Professor Huang Weiliang from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Special Associate Researcher Zhang Yu from South China Normal University, Professor Zhu Shoutong from the University of Macau, Associate Professor Xu Shiying from South China Normal University, Special Professor Zhang Zhiguo from Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology, Professor He Xingfeng from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lecturer Qiu Tingjie from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Associate Professor Hou Guixin from South China Normal University, and Professor Long Qilin from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered reports on their respective sub-projects. They discussed task allocations, research progress, unresolved issues, and related prospects and recommendations, covering topics such as Hong Kong's free newspapers, digital research methods, Hong Kong-style narrative styles, literary debates in newspapers, and the integration of print and online media with international dissemination.

During the discussion session, project team members shared their research findings on Hong Kong newspaper literary supplements, highlighted key issues encountered in their studies, and presented their reflections, hoping to spark intellectual exchanges. Associate Professor Li Mingang from Guangzhou Sport University offered insights on digital research. Ms. Ye Jiayong from The Chinese University of Hong Kong analyzed the cross-disciplinary nature of Feng Zikai's cartoons and Ming Chuan's texts from four perspectives: region, genre, era, and theme. Dr. Peng Yiyi, a postdoctoral fellow at Peking University, examined articles published by Xiao Hong herself in Hong Kong newspapers and analyzed the construction of Xiao Hong's image in these publications. Wang Zhiyin, a Ph.D. candidate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, traced the historical origins and specific cataloging of "New Newspaper · Literary New Wave." Mai Ziqing, another Ph.D. candidate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, analyzed cross-boundary creations in Hong Kong newspapers through the literary identity of Ye Si in the 1960s and 1970s. Ma Zhenzhong, a young scholar from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, studied the evolution of literary supplements in Hong Kong newspapers using the "Cai Feng" section of Wen Wei Po as an example.

Xie Wenjun, a Ph.D. candidate at South China Normal University, discussed the historical evolution of interactions between Hong Kong newspapers and Southeast Asian Chinese literature. Cai Jiayang, another Ph.D. candidate at South China Normal University, explored new approaches to studying science fiction in Hong Kong newspapers from the perspective of digital humanities. Wang Anqi, a master's student at South China Normal University, investigated the discovery and anxiety of space in the "One-Day Complete Novels" column of Tin Tin Daily. Jiang Haichao, a master's student at South China Normal University, studied the prefaces to Shen Congwen's works in Hong Kong newspaper literary supplements. Lin Huijiao, a master's student at South China Normal University, explored the interviews with Ba Jin published in the Hong Kong literary journal "Ba Fang." Sun Yiping, a master's student at South China Normal University, analyzed the "Cantonese opera sounds" in Hong Kong newspaper supplements, using the "Jin Yue Fu" supplement of Overseas Chinese Daily as an example. Qin Shuyi, a master's student at South China Normal University, provided an overview of the "One-Day Ten-Thousand-Word Novels" supplement in the Industrial and Commercial Daily. Luo Jiangyu, a Ph.D. candidate at South China Normal University, analyzed the National Day narratives in Hong Kong literary supplements after the handover, focusing on Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po. Chu Yingzhu, a master's student at South China Normal University, examined Ye Si's growth and creative characteristics in The Chinese Student Weekly. Chen Juanjuan, a master's student at South China Normal University, studied the serialized novels in the supplements of Tin Tin Daily in the 1990s. Wang Ruoxun, a young scholar from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, discussed the cultural dissemination performance of the literary supplements in the Eastern Malaysia Sarawak edition of Ta Kung Pao. Liu Xiaoya, another young scholar from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, summarized the characteristics of the overseas edition supplements of Sing Tao Daily.

Mr. Ma Huihong, the director of the Qian Mu Library of New Asia College and the Hu Zhong Multimedia Library of United College, noted that the project features comprehensive and all-encompassing research, emphasizing both cataloging and textual analysis in methodology, while also employing digital humanities methods for macro-level analysis. Ma Huihong pointed out that placing Hong Kong newspaper literary supplements within a broader cultural context could lead to more discoveries. He identified three main sources of Hong Kong literary databases and shared a series of important literary supplements.

Ling Yu summarized the characteristics of the seminar: first, the diverse topics and broad focus raised highly valuable questions; second, the digital research and database construction were particularly impressive; third, the international research was solid and effective. She emphasized that Hong Kong literary supplements, with their encyclopedic nature, reflect the cultural characteristics of Hong Kong and hold significant research value and meaning. She also offered suggestions for the future development of the project.  

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