Xu Xi

Amy Lai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Ed. by John Thieme, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.4.2: Hong Kong, Singaporean, Malaysian and Myanmar Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Hannah Ho (University of Brunei Darussalam), Angelia Poon (Nayang Technological University, Singapore)

Dates

Born 1955
Activity 1975-ongoing

Places

Born in Hong Kong
Active in Canada; Hong Kong; United States

Activities

Primary

Essayist
Journalist
Novelist
Scholar

Resources

Xu Xi (pronounced “Shoe-See”), a Chinese-Indonesian native of Hong Kong, is one of Asia's leading English language writers. The author of five books of fiction, she has also co-edited an anthology of Hong Kong writing in English. Other published writing includes essays, op-eds and book reviews. Her work is taught, broadcast and anthologized internationally.

Singapore's Business Times characterised Xu Xi's theme and passion as “Asia as it is today – gritty, modern and confused.” In 1994, her first novel was hailed as a “welcome new voice into the field of Asian fiction writing.” Asiaweek described her as “a Hong Kong writer who does not write like a ‘Hong Kong writer', and speaks with more authority because of it”, and named Daughters of Hui the “best book about Asia” ever written. She aims to explain “the...

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293 words

Citation: Lai, Amy. "Xu Xi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 November 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5416, accessed 09 June 2026.]