Hybrid Modernism in Cold War Hong Kong: Liu Yichang’s The Drunkard

This article presents a historical and literary analysis of a seminal work in Hong Kong literature, The Drunkard, by the iconic and versatile writer Liu Yichang (1918–2018). It begins by investigating how Liu’s diasporic dislocation informed his fusion of stylistic elements, linking existential crisis to the emergence of hybrid literary forms in Cold War Hong Kong. It also considers the impact of Cold War cultural influences—British colonial, American, and Chinese—on Hong Kong’s literary landscape and their role in enabling Liu’s experimental hybridity. Furthermore, it examines the ways in which diverse traditions, including European modernism, Shanghai Neo-Sensationalism, Classical Chinese literature, and Nanyang multiculturalism, are manifested in The Drunkard through specific formal devices rather than as mere cultural references. Finally, the article addresses how Liu’s editorial practices contributed to an engagement with modernism, shaping his creative output and the evolution of Hong Kong modernist literature. It argues that both the creation and content of The Drunkard exemplify a form of “hybrid modernism”—a distinctive cultural response to the complexities of modernity and coloniality in Cold War Hong Kong.