Defining Magic

【這是一個從絕望到希望的故事】幻滅的盡頭，是重生；即使身陷絕望，我們也要相信希望。這個與舞蹈有關的人生故事，發生在廟街，取材自小說《幻滅既濟》。 人生每一步都是選擇，而這些「選擇」，就像跳舞的「準備動作」。每一個動作，會影響下一刻的人生。 即使生活中有很多外在因素，致使我們的選擇出錯；但只要記住，幻滅之後仍可重生，我們實在無需沮喪。因為，重生帶給我們的，就是下一次成功的可能。人生處處奇蹟，就讓我們成為Magic Moment的共舞者。翻開第一頁，你就能找到自己Magic Moment！

Making National Heroes is an ethnography of the making of national heroes in the commemoration of the Second World War in contemporary China. Foregrounding the lived experience of men and women who participate in commemorative activities, it theorises how masculinity and nationalism entangle in recollecting war memories. Taking the feminist line of inquiry, this anthropological study develops an approach to capture the centrality of making exemplars in the realisation of hegemonic masculinities. It adds a gender perspective to studies on exemplarist moral theory and theorises exemplary men’s cross-cultural significance in defining masculinities. Researchers in the fields of critical masculinity studies, anthropology, feminist methodology, China studies, and memory studies will be interested in this book.

Co-published with HKU LibrariesOn the Steppes of Dreams is the latest collection of ‘dreamscapes’ by Basil Pao. Designed as a companion piece to his previous book Carnival of Dreams (2023) - which chronicled, from his first album cover and early cut & paste collages to the current CGI enhanced digital images of his photomontage work over a period of 50 years. The new book completes the circle and concludes the story of his surrealist/magic-realism imagery with a chapter of tributes to the group of artists who had inspired and influenced his work. The book is also intended as a celebration and a momento for the 100th anniversary of Surrealism.In his introduction, Terry Gilliam wrote: “His stunningly beautiful composite images surprise us by combining opposites, juxtaposing unlikely imagery and ideas that ask questions, make us smile, make us think, releasing us from the rigid restrictions of Reason. The portal is in your hands. Turn the page and float off into Basil’s endless univer

這是一個從絕望到希望的故事。金鈴失去了她的戀人（樂天），卻因為疫症鎖國，被困愁城。就在這時，她來到了「幻滅教室」，展開一連串意想不到的阿根廷探戈旅程。機緣巧合，金鈴和跳舞哲人（森焱）一起見證了，世界各地舞者夢寐以求的Magic Moment 的出現！這個魔幻時刻，令頹廢了二十年的樂師，捲土重來；令本來一心等死的舞者，受到鼓舞而振作；甚至令等了戀人十五年的女生，不再沉淪在悲哀。然而，金鈴並不知道，森焱的出現，並不是偶然。經年累月在跳舞的森焱，一直想追尋的謎底，和樂天的秘密，原來互有關連。到底，幻滅與重生，是對立，還是共生？

On the Steppes of Dreams is the latest collection of ‘dreamscapes’ by Basil Pao. Designed as a companion piece to his previous book Carnival of Dreams (2023) - which chronicled, from his first album cover and early cut & paste collages to the current CGI enhanced digital images of his photomontage work over a period of 50 years. The new book completes the circle and concludes the story of his surrealist/magic-realism imagery with a chapter of tributes to the group of artists who had inspired and influenced his work. The book is also intended as a celebration and a momento for the 100th anniversary of Surrealism.In his introduction, Terry Gilliam wrote: “His stunningly beautiful composite images surprise us by combining opposites, juxtaposing unlikely imagery and ideas that ask questions, make us smile, make us think, releasing us from the rigid restrictions of Reason. The portal is in your hands. Turn the page and float off into Basil’s endless universe of wondrous possibilities.”

Hong Kong cinema exploded into world culture during the 1990s, driven by its linkage with Hollywood's dynamic new digital special effects technologies. This book provides essential historical backgrou