I know that you created Cha because Hong Kong lacked an outlet for writers, can you tell me your initial thoughts and how the magazine was formed?

I know that you created Cha because Hong Kong lacked an outlet for writers, can you tell me your initial thoughts and how the magazine was formed?

I won't say that Hong Kong 'lacks' an outlet for writers. A lot is going on in the city -- see my answer to the question about weather Hong Kong is a nurturing place for writers.

That said, I really wanted to have something that is based in Hong Kong. Call this loyalty to my home city. Also, I felt strongly that Hong Kong, as it is often called an ‘international’ hub, should have its own English-language online literary journal. We were hoping to highlight two things: that the city can use an international language well and that there is room for literary endeavours in a predominantly business-driven place.

However, I must clarify that Cha is not all about Hong Kong. The project was also fuelled by a sense of confidence about the prevalence of great English writing in Asia. We wanted our journal to provide a platform for quality writing from the region. The fact that both Jeff and I have had experience in editing literary works (and he is also an editor by trade) means that we were in a reasonably good position to start the journal.

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