WHEN EXILED Chinese dissident Harry Wu Hongda was refused entry into Hong Kong on Monday, it was another blow to the territory's traditional role as a sanctuary for free speech in the Chinese world.
It coincided with the hosting of the largest literature festival ever staged in Hong Kong, an important effort to recast the city's role in a new form.
The second Standard Chartered International Literary Festival, which ends tomorrow, has brought together about 60 writers. The common thread is that although they write in English, they have Asian roots.
Although the festival is not about Chinese literature, and did not include many mainland writers, the organisers did manage to attract big names from the world of exiled dissident writers, like Yang Lian and Huang Beiling.
Inevitably, discussions come around to what kind of role Hong Kong can play as it draws closer to Beijing.
Mr Wu angrily claimed his expulsion showed Hong Kong's 'one country, two systems' concept was already over.
Ever since the '100 days of reform' was crushed in the last years of the 19th century, Hong Kong, like other treaty ports, has served as a sanctuary for writers and politicians who fell out of favour with the powers that be.
