In this article, the author talks about ghosts in the urban context. In Chinese beliefs, ghosts roam the Earth if they have been denied a proper burial. However, the scarcity of land in Hong Kong makes a grave become a luxury. Also, apartments are divided to many tiny cubicles, which makes them look like ’coffin homes’. That’s why housing in Hong Kong can align with ghost stories and most ghost films are made in Hong Kong. Moreover, the living environment in Hong Kong contributes to social isolation. The loneliness of apartment ghosts mirrors the loneliness of humans. The declining social significance of the family the disappearance of the neighborhood are consequences of urban living. I think the reason of making these ghost films is that the directors want to reflect the problem of urban living. People should care more about each other instead of becoming the verge of disappearance and live like ghosts.
Yang Yifan
UID: 3035993816
You have demonstrated your abilities to extract the key ideas of the reading and paraphrase the ideas to foster your argument. Yet, more elaboration should be observed, e.g., what are the urban living problems that the directors would like to convey with the help of the ‘ghosts’, how the living condition if HK contributes to isolation?