Two Poems

The two poems included in this section reveal different facets of Xi Xi’s poetry. First published in 1976, “The Bearded Door God” is a playful piece drawing on Chinese folkloric traditions that are still carried out by many Hong Kong residents. Meanwhile, written two decades later in 1997, “A Primary One Interview at a Band One School” adopts the perspective of a young girl to draw attention to the stark class differences and income inequality in the city. As these poems illustrate, there is a serious undertone to Xi Xi’s seemingly whimsical works, and a whimsical undertone to her more serious writings.