Erotica Blogger Wan Cha-wah
Meet Wan Chan-wah. Not only does he write erotic stories on his blog, he also uses them to teach people the meaning of Chinese four-word idioms. He talks to June Ng about the erotic literature scene in Hong Kong.
HK Magazine: Why did you decide to write an erotic blog?
Wah Chaan-wah: I used to write stories for newspapers and magazines decades ago: not just erotic stories, but all kinds of little tales. You know in old Hong Kong, newspapers would invite readers to write to them, with a little cash as a reward. But they don’t do that anymore, so I made a blog and uploaded my work onto it. I write all kinds of stuff, but the erotic stories draw the most attention.
HK: What distinguishes your work from other salacious stories?
WC: First, my writing is educational. So far, I’ve posted 52 erotic short stories, and each of them is related to a four-word Chinese idiom. I think the standard of Chinese of this generation is very low, so I try to include educational material in the stories. When I first started to write erotic stories for the newspaper decades ago, the editor taught me a key point: your stories have to subtly unveil sexual messages in a way that is interesting to the reader.
HK: What do you think of local pornographic magazines?
WC: I think they lack subtlety. Everything is too blunt; there’s no space for people to use their imaginations and they read like a guide to prostitution. As for the porn, honestly, I think it's a bit gross. I admire overseas porn magazines because they treat the female body as a work of art and the camera captures the image with a more artistic scope. But in local productions, the pictures are more explicit, without much aesthetic value. It’s a sad fact that Hong Kong doesn’t have an erotic literature scene. I guess the readers control the market.
HK: Where do you get the inspiration for your stories? Some of them are about looking for prostitutes...
WC: Some are from personal experience, and some come from friends, or gossip that I hear. Actually, I don’t believe in getting a prostitute. Many people have told me—and they are reliable sources—that there are pinhole cameras in many love motels and there’s a very high chance that you’ll be filmed and become a porn star somewhere.
HK: Do you think that Hong Kong is becoming increasingly prudish, especially considering several recent controversial indecency and obscenity judgments?
WC: A Chinese idiom comes to mind: “picking bones from an egg.” Everybody thinks of sex, but some just choose not to talk about it. But even you don’t talk about it, you shouldn’t think it’s wrong for other people to discuss it and take that freedom from them. The conservatives shouldn’t get too eccentric.
HK: What does your family think?
WC: My wife doesn’t really understand what I’m writing, because I write other stuff as well. I once published a book 30 years ago under some sponsorship. As for my children, they’re pretty open. It’s just for fun; I’m not trying to corrupt society or anything like that. I’ve done serveral interviews before, and funnily enough, after my identity was revealed, more women started reading my blog.