//16.3 HKFYG Highlights: Publications

A Wuxia World of One’s Own

by Karman Shiu and Mia Yao

Eleni Mak Oi-lun, a 15-year-old aspiring author, shares her journey of publishing her first Wuxia novel. She encourages others to pick up the pen and chase their writing dreams.

In the late summer of 1666, an apple fell from a tree in Isaac Newton’s garden at Woolsthorpe Manor, sparking his inquiry into gravitation and eventually leading to the formulation of the law of gravity. More than 300 years later, a similar incident occurred in the bedroom of 15-year-old Eleni Mak Oi-lun: a book tumbled off her shelf and hit her squarely on the head, igniting her journey into Wuxia fiction and Chinese literature.

Now, as a young writer who just debuted her first book at this year’s Hong Kong Book Fair, Eleni reflects on how that fateful falling book – Louis Cha (金庸)’s The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a gift from her mother – kickstarted her literary adventure. The book had been largely ignored on her shelf until that day. But once she opened it, Eleni was hooked. She devoured the entire series and moved on to other Wuxia masters like Gu Long (古龍) and Woon Swee-oan (溫瑞安).

The more she read, the more engrossed she became. Eleni reflects, “I love the world of Jianghu (江湖), where there are always stories and people with diverse personalities. This milieu of Chinese Wuxia has an irresistible allure.”

Eleni’s love for Wuxia eventually spurred her to create her own Jianghu – a world defined by the social environment and relationships found in Wuxia novels. She picked up a pen and began writing. Her first published work, Manjusaka (青色彼岸花), remains the story she is most proud of, largely due to its unique female perspective.

“Most martial arts novels are told from a male perspective. I wanted to create a female character who is also a highly skilled hero, navigating Jianghu on her own and viewing the world from her unique perspective,” she said.

In Manjusaka, the female protagonist, who grows up in a secluded valley, leaves the comforts of her surroundings on a solo mission into uncharted territory. Along the way, she explores different facets of love. “Love isn’t just about romance between men and women,” Eleni says. “It also encompasses parental love, sibling love, and more.”

Eleni Mak Oi-lun, a 15-year-old aspiring author, shares her journey of publishing her first Wuxia novel.

A Like-minded Community

Writing is often a solitary endeavour, but Eleni’s experience has been far from lonely. Surrounded by friends who share her passion for storytelling, she found a supportive community. The girls often gathered in a quiet corner of the campus after class to discuss each other’s work, exchanging ideas and offering feedback. This community helped Eleni navigate the complexities of her own stories.

“On one hand, I understand that a story needs some room for interpretation, but on the other hand, I worry that readers might not fully grasp it.” Fortunately, Eleni met a friend at a writing camp who reminded her that storytelling is about making choices – deciding what’s essential and what can be left unsaid, allowing readers to have their own interpretations. This realisation helped her enrich the story and the personality of each character to make it more authentic.

Her friends, some of whom prefer writing prose, often focused on the small details, advising her on how to create an atmosphere. For example, in one scene featuring a concubine in the royal palace, a friend suggested that instead of simply describing the way the dangling ornament on the concubine’s head swayed, she could also describe its colour, her clothes, and how she exudes an aura of power. Eleni believes these suggestions helped her improve her writing, and she is grateful for her friends』 ongoing support.

Seeing his daughter so passionate about writing, Eleni’s father smiled helplessly and said, “Sometimes I see her writing past midnight, and I want to scold her for not resting. But then I see how focused she is, and I can’t bring myself to interrupt her.”

Eleni Mak Oi-lun encourages others to pick up the pen and chase their writing dreams.

A Wuxia World of Her Own

In 2023, Eleni participated in the HKFYG’s “School Young Writers Competition” programme supported by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) and the Language Fund. The seven-month programme provides training courses and support to help school writers publish their first books. In July, Eleni won first place in the fiction category of the programme and published her first book during the 2024 Hong Kong Book Fair.

Eleni is grateful for the opportunity the programme provided, as it motivated her to complete her work within a specific timeframe. “I started writing because I loved it and wanted to create my own Wuxia world. When I finished my work, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Now that I’ve successfully published my first book and had the chance to share my work with different people. The joy is indescribable.”

She was particularly excited to see a social media post from a reader who found her novel captivating and finished it in one sitting. Recently, Eleni has been drawn to Woon Swee-oan’s The Killing Chu, finding the portrayal of the male protagonist refreshing and offering her a glimpse into another side of the Wuxia world.

The Next Chapter

Eleni is excited about her future writing projects as she’s already planning a new book. As she ventures deeper into the magical world of storytelling, she hopes to develop her own unique writing style: “It’s inevitable that when writing, one unconsciously references the styles of past masters, but their methods are so refined that it’s difficult to surpass them. If I want to write better, I need to find the unique identity of my own work.”

As the interview concluded, Eleni encouraged aspiring writers not to give up. She says, “As long as you keep creating, it will bring you a sense of fulfilment, and in time, there will always be someone who appreciates your work.” ■

Eleni Mak Oi-lun is a secondary five student at Good Hope School who has a deep passion for literature. She enjoys both reading and writing novels. Get this book at the HKFYG Bookstore