Timothy Mo, An Insular Possession

Elaine Ho (University of Hong Kong)

Ed. by John Thieme, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1987

Places

Hong Kong (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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The subject matter of

An Insular Possession

, the Sino-British conflict that led to the Opium War and the establishment of Hong Kong as a colonial city port in the nineteenth century, is epical in scope. The date of the novel’s publication, 1986, is highly significant.

An Insular Possession

appeared just 4 years after the signing of the Joint Declaration in which the British and Chinese governments agreed to the return of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. In 1982, relations between the two governments over the issue of Hong Kong were cordial, a state of affairs which took a dramatic turn for the worse after 1989.

The imperial conflicts and military hostilities in which colonial Hong Kong began are well-recorded in histories of China and the region. Around the time of

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1462 words

Citation: Ho, Elaine. "An Insular Possession". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6631, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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