Cheng Naishan, a Shanghai literary icon with close ties to HK, dies aged 67
Cheng Naishan, who came to Hong Kong as a child in 1949, is famed for novels about 1930s Shanghai and her translation of Nien Cheng's memoir
Cheng Naishan, widely considered an icon of Shanghainese literature and who had close ties to Hong Kong, has died after a long battle with leukaemia.
Cheng, 67, was best known for the hai pai, or Shanghainese, style of literature, which is often related to the history, culture and legacy of the city, particularly from the 1930s when it was known as the "Paris of the Orient" for its strong business sector and well-diversified culture, and was on a par with New York, London and Paris.
Cheng was born in Shanghai in 1946. Her grandfather, Cheng Muhao, was a well-respected banker and could afford to move the entire family to Hong Kong in 1949, shortly before the Communist Party won the civil war and founded a "New China" on the mainland.
In Hong Kong, the Cheng family joined many other wealthy Shanghainese who, concerned about political instability after the civil war, had fled to the then British colony.
Before the family moved to Hong Kong, Cheng's grandfather was the No2 at Bank of China in Shanghai. After moving to the city, he became the general manager of Bank of China (Hong Kong) and remained a special adviser to the bank's board even after his retirement.
The family returned to Shanghai in 1956, partly because Beijing encouraged patriotic overseas Chinese to return and contribute to their homeland.