Celebrated contemporary Chinese authors Wang Shiyue and Pu Lizi recently participated in the 25th Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF), engaging in a series of high-profile literary exchanges that drew enthusiastic crowds.

Guided by the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Office of the China Writers Association, and supported by the Southern Publishing & Media Group Co., Limited, the featured events included a deep-dive into Pu's latest novel, Vanity Square, and a keynote lecture on Wang's epic work, For you, Day and Night.

On March 1, Pu hosted a sharing session themed "A Dialogue Between Literature and the City" to showcase his latest novel, Vanity Square. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Guangzhou, the book follows the journey of Zhou Yang, a graduate who arrived in the city in 2003, charting his half-century struggle between ambition and disillusionment.

During the session, Pu discussed themes of love, displacement and identity among the younger generation in his novel. He admitted that his visit to Hong Kong has prompted him to rethink the hidden and complex relationship between fiction and the city. He said: "Vanity is waiting for and chasing after people and lives that never belonged to us."