There seems to have been nothing good about 2020. I don’t think I need to repeat how hard life was last year. Like most of us, I spared more time by Working From Home. I learnt the arrangement of WFH during my study in London. At that time, I admired their flexibility at the workplace. Ironically, the concept of WFH was introduced to Hong Kong at such a weird time. Anyhow, WFH saved me from traffic and commute, and therefore I had more time for reading books, watching films and TVs. It’s one of the very few good things in 2020.

I have completed reading 35 books in 2020, with an increase of around 15 books as compared to the previous year. The booklist has excluded the books unfinished and all the materials relevant to my teaching. Actually, it’s not too many; one of my Facebook friends has read double the number of books I have finished reading.

I observe there are two unusual things in my reading habit. Books in Chinese (written or translated) are overwhelming. It might be due to a rebound in my work life. I mostly prepared my lessons through English materials. The other category, non-fiction, takes a much larger proportion. It is usually the opposite. Probably, I am too eager to absorb a variety of knowledge and experience from others when the world is so difficult to make sense of. I admit that I lost interest in novels for a short while.

2020 was my first encounter with some writers though they have been at the top of my wishlist for a long time. Margaret Atwood conceived a fascinating dystopia through her trilogy of ‘Oryx and Crake’. I would definitely read her ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ this year. Ted Chiang is a sci-fi writer and always has stunning ideas for his stories. He has only completed two collections of short stories. I probably have to wait for another ten years for his next book. Eduardo Galeano was an Uruguayan writer who experienced the ‘Dirty War’ in South America in the 1970s and went on exile for almost ten years. His words are so warm and you could feel that he really understands you.

I am also a soccer fan. If life in Hong Kong were a soccer game, in 2019, we maintained a powerful offensive in the field, trying to get a score. In 2020, under the threats of pandemic and national security law, we could only remain defensive. In the time of keeping a low profile, it’s best to do something to strengthen yourself. Reading books and absorbing nutrients for thoughts from various means are my way of strengthening.

Being asked what s/he can do for Hong Kong, I often reply, ‘Do something you feel passionate about and try to give it your best. If so, you must be influential in that field, not only locally, but also globally. If every one of us works towards this goal, Hong Kong will have greater power to fight back.’

I am glad to have these books be with me to stand tall in 2020. The writers showed me how we could live through this hard time. I first came across Mutsuo Takahashi’s poems as well. His works are about pain and youth. I try to translate two lines of his poem titled ‘Dawn’ in Chinese (yes, please allow me to do the double translation this time):

(Pat To Yan, Active in Hong Kong and German Theatre. Playwright, Director, Lecturer. Elected Council Member and the Chairman of the committee of Literary Art of Hong Kong Arts Development Council.)

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