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This article explores experiences of gender, love, sex and family during the present period of complex social transformation in Hong Kong (HK) and the mainland through the narratives of five HK men and their adventures across the border. Whilst initially rose-tinted, their adventures encountered unexpected problems and brought about unforeseen needs. The article explores the emotions and responsibilities these men needed to contend with as they tried to exploit the opportunities that the mainland presented and argues for the need for services and support for the increasing number of men who frequently cross the border to achieve their goals.

AbstractThis paper focuses on the political project of Choi Fung, who has used herself, her body and performative actions to create a social movement. She exemplifies how young women can engage in feminist practices through a politics of iconogenesis whilst remaining marginal to the feminist movement. Rather than joining organizations, some women choose to re-invent themselves as women icons and politicize their life choices and sexuality to develop their own forms of social activism and articulate a new kind of politics that combines visibility and self-empowerment. Through the term ‘politics of iconogenesis,’ I suggest that the lone and seemingly erratic ‘icon’ may illuminate how individuals relate to historical shifts of political, social, and economic transformations in order to articulate their social critique. Therefore the ‘genesis’ of these icons constitutes a key site for investigation into the gaps and fissures of the feminist movement and civil society in powerful ways.

Case studies of ten Hong Kong women diagnosed with depression demonstrate that depression is not necessarily, but can be, one strategy for dealing with the problems of everyday life. Neither is it always an outspoken critique of the family as an institution and the gender inequality in the Hong Kong society. However, depression should never be understood simply as personal or social pathology, but as an attempt to negotiate with social reality. These women used their bodies for experiencing, interpreting, and communicating about emotions and social issues. Depression is one of the strategies these women used to resist social forces and transform them into conditions that made possible the creation of space for personal changes.