港大中文學院

張愛玲研究新方向講座系列之三十二 New Directions in Eileen Chang Studies Lecture Series #32
Co-hosted by School of Chinese and Department of Comparative Literature, HKU
Co-sponsored by Louis Cha Fund for Chinese studies & East/West studies in the Faculty
& Center for the Study of Globalization and Culture (CSGC) 

粉牆花影：張愛玲筆下的白俄

“The shadow of a flower cast upon a whitewashed wall”:

Exploring the Lives of Russian Emigrés in Eileen Chang’s Stories

分享嘉賓 Speaker:

Prof. MA Xiaolu 馬筱璐 教授

(Division of Humanities, HKUST)

主持人 Moderator:

Prof. LIN Pei-yin 林姵吟 教授

(School of Chinese, HKU)

日期時間 Date & Time: November 24, 2026 (Tue) 16:30-18:00pm (HKT)

語言 Language: Putonghua 普通話

地點 Venue: CPD-2.58, Central Podium Level 2, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
香港大學百周年校園賽馬會教學樓中央平臺2樓CPD-2.58室

講座模式 Delivery Mode: Face-to-face & Online (via Zoom)

報名 Registration:

https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cMULk2NmLPp0BSe

摘要 Abstract:

二十世紀三、四十年代，上海約有兩萬名來自俄羅斯的僑民，通常被稱為「白俄」。他們當中許多人因十月革命而逃離祖國，在異國他鄉尋求政治庇護。然而，他們在上海的生活往往充滿艱辛；不僅遭到其他歐洲社群的排擠，經濟上的困頓甚至迫使他們採取各種非法手段謀生。這些俄羅斯流亡者的故事也出現在中國現代文學作品中。張愛玲筆下亦出現了諸多白俄的身影。與強調白俄政治內涵的左翼作家不同，張愛玲關注的是他們的城市生活與日常的細枝末節。憑藉對人性弱點的敏銳觀察，張愛玲描繪出細膩的心理肖像，揭示了上海俄羅斯僑民群體的經歷。她的刻畫超越了我們對「文化他者」的刻板印象，並揭示出這一群體與上海社會更為複雜的互動關係。

In the 1930s and 1940s, Shanghai was home to approximately twenty thousand Russian residents, commonly referred to as the “White Russians.” Many of these Russians fled their homeland due to the rise of communist rule, seeking refuge in a foreign land. However, life in Shanghai was often challenging; they faced exclusion from the more affluent and influential European communities within the city. Economic hardship sometimes led to desperate measures, including theft and prostitution. The presence of Russian émigrés became a notable theme in modern Chinese literature beginning in the 1920s. Eileen Chang contributed to this literary tradition by incorporating Russian characters into her stories and essays. Unlike many leftist writers who emphasized the political implications of these figures, Chang focused on the everyday lives and seemingly trivial details of urban existence. Her nuanced psychological portraits, informed by astute observations of human frailty, illuminate the experiences of the Russian émigré community in Shanghai. This presentation aims to closely examine the depiction of Russian émigrés in Chang’s work, arguing that they played a significant role in the construction of Shanghai modernity. Their representation transcends a simplistic characterization as the cultural other, revealing a more intricate interplay within the city’s social and cultural landscape.

講者簡介 About the Speaker:

馬筱璐  香港科技大學副教授。著有英文學術專著Transpatial Modernity: Chinese Cultural Encounters with Russia through the Prism of Japan (1880–1930)（哈佛大學東亞研究中心2024年）。本書獲得了安娜·巴拉基安獎（國際比較文學協會）和南加州大學文學與文化研究書籍獎（美國斯拉夫、東歐與歐亞研究協會）的榮譽提名。另有中英文學術論文三十餘篇發表或即將發表於學術論文集以及中外頂級期刊，如《美國現代語言學協會會刊》、《亞洲研究期刊》、《比較文學研究》、《現代中國文學與文化》、《二十世紀中國》等。

Xiaolu Ma is associate professor in the Division of Humanities at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is the author of Transpatial Modernity: Chinese Cultural Encounters with Russia via Japan (1880–1930) (Harvard University Asia Center, 2024). This book has received honorable mentions for both the Anna Balakian Prize and University of Southern California Book Prize in Literary and Cultural Studies. Her research articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including JAS, PMLA, Modern Language Quarterly, Comparative Literature Studies, Modern Chinese Literature and Culture, Twentieth-Century China, among others.

Notice:

1)  The seminar will be conducted primarily in a face-to-face mode; Those who cannot attend the seminar in-person could apply for online participation (via Zoom);

2) All those who would like to attend the seminar are required to register online (Click HERE) on a first-come, first-served basis;

3) Email of confirmation will be sent to the registered email addresses and participants have to show the screenshot or print-out version of the email for entry of the seminar venue;

4) Walk-in or late-comers will not be allowed for entry of the seminar venue unless situation allows.

ALL are welcome*

*Pre-registration (Click HERE) is required.