Increasingly more people lead a single life, and increasingly more people are attracted to creative work. Straddling this historical juncture, this talk introduces a new book by Professor Chow Yiu Fai of Hong Kong Baptist University which investigates the professional, social, and intimate lives of one particular group of 'precariat': single women in Shanghai who take up creative (self-) employment. While these Chinese women are dealing with multiple demands of singlehood and creative jobs, how do they maintain a sense of well-being, enjoy their lives, and exercise their agency? In other words: how to take care of oneself in the midst of everyday precarity?

Chow Yiu Fai is Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing at the Hong Kong Baptist University. His publications and research cover gender politics and creative practices, and he is author of Caring in Times of Precarity (2018) and co-author of Sonic Multiplicities (2012). Chow is also an award-winning writer in lyrics and prose. Dr. Chow holds a PhD from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research.

This talk is co-sponsored by China Crossroads.