Editor’s Introduction (Issue 2)

Dear readers

Inscribe features writing from undergraduate students at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and is supported by the university’s English Language Centre. The journal showcases the wide diversity of writing genres, topics of interest, and voices in our community. Many of these works originated in our general education CAR subject courses, in which students can explore various areas beyond the scope of their academic programme, such as philosophy, art, and creative writing.

Issue 2 of Inscribe highlights the talents of ten compelling young writers. These works showcase the writers’ curiosity and imagination, energy and creativity, as well as their critical and personal perspectives. A variety of themes have emerged in this issue, including the role of family and its impact on one’s life. Viola Chong imagines a precious encounter with relatives in the short fantasy story “It Ends with a Beginning”.  An exchange student from Sweden used the opportunity of a creative writing class to take stock of his life and reflect on his upbringing in “A Memoir”. Immersing herself in the haunting words of an online poet, Heidi Tse analyses the author’s depiction of family dysfunction in “Analytical Essay on the Poem ‘Wasted’”. An appreciation for the classics of Chinese culture is also seen in this issue. Inspired by his love of traditional Chinese painting, Liu Hong investigates how the artists’ life experiences are expressed through their art in “A Comparison of the Paintings of Bada Shanren and Shitao of the Qing Dynasty”. David Xu discusses the teachings of Confucius and their relevance in modern society in “Comments on Wu Yu’s Critique of the Confucian Teaching of Filial Piety and Conflicts within Filial Piety”. Mixing the classic with the fantastic, a bakery selling traditional mooncakes sets the scene for the short story “The Secret of the Mooncake” by Winson Pan. Modern social issues and scenes are also explored. Jin Luo used her exchange semester in Singapore to conduct research on a topical socio-political issue in her paper “Partial Assimilation: Mainland Chinese New Migrants in Singapore”.  On a much lighter note, the dramatic subculture of Hong Kong’s modern fashionistas is vividly captured in Sidra Khan’s tale “Ugly Shoes Must Die”. Personal views are strongly expressed in two of the works. Geovanny Lay proclaims her vision for a world with gender equality in the “Makefference Manifesto”. Douglas Liu’s dialogue in “The Story of Andras, the Hero, and Grapto, the Convict” offers his philosophical views on the nature of humanity and destiny.

We gratefully acknowledge the achievements and contributions of Dean Gui, the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Inscribe. We are pleased to bring his vision of supporting student writers forward as the journal experiences a growing interest among aspiring writers and readers in our community and beyond. We also wish to acknowledge and extend our gratitude to our many colleagues who have contributed to this issue, including our editors, blind reviewers, proofreaders, senior faculty advisor, and Dr. Bruce Morrison, Director of the English Language Centre. We invite you to indulge in a quiet moment to enjoy these works in Issue 2, and then engage with the writers and fellow readers through an online dialogue.

Yours faithfully