Hong Kong Type: A Love Letter Late by One Hundred and Fifty Years

15.11.2024

Hong Kong Type is the first complete set of movable lead types in Chinese characters. It was minted by the missionaries of the London Missionary Society, with experiments starting in Malacca in the 1830s, until completion in Hong Kong in 1851. It was then used to print the Chinese Bible and works introducing Western knowledge to China. It brought about the modernization of the printing industry in China, gradually replacing traditional wood block printing by movable type printing. 【More information

This work is based on the facts about Hong Kong Type but it is not a historical novel. It is both about the past and the present. A typeface is where the word and the object meet, where culture and technology, or the spiritual and the material, converge. The novel is about writing itself, which is both a letter and a record, a séance and a testament. 【Trial reading

《菩薩 18 / Bodhisattva 18》

17.7.2024

Text: Dung Kai-cheung

Illustration: Ian Leong

This book consists of eighteen short stories inspired by the imagery of “Bodhisattva,” each paired with an original illustration. The concept of Bodhisattva is not limited to religious interpretation but can also refer to the intertwined phenomena of all things, the impermanence of worldly affairs, and the compassionate heart that transcends phenomena. In each story, spirit and matter are interwoven; depicting various existences like water, fire, clouds, and mist. People experience confusion, comfort, attachment, and relief within these stories; the facets of life emerge, revealing the desires of life and the understanding of what has passed. The author uses extremely short story formats, lightly sketched and gently narrated; yet occasionally there are flashes of inspiration, bringing moments of touch and enlightenment. The illustrator captures the essence of the text with colors, incorporating personal emotions and imagination, creating another layer of artistic conception. The artworks themselves are very much worth appreciating and collecting.

The entire book is translated into English by artificial intelligence GPT-4, then revised and proofread by the author, and published alongside the original text.【Excerpts


For dBooks (NFT books) by Dung Kai-cheung in Chinese, please refer to the Chinese page.