BANGKOK – Hong Kong writer Lau Yee-Wa has been named the winner of the inaugural Chommanard International Women’s Literary Award for 2025. The announcement was made during a gala dinner in Bangkok on 3 April 2026.
“Let me begin with a personal confession. I never set out to write a political novel,” Lau told the audience during her acceptance speech. “I simply wanted to tell a story about two ordinary Chinese-language teachers who tried to keep their jobs when their boss ordered a change in the medium of instruction from Cantonese to Mandarin. But as the pages grew, I realised I was not writing fiction. I was documenting a quiet, invisible form of violence that happens every day in classrooms, workplaces, and daily life across the world. That violence is called deschooling.”
Lau’s novel, Tongueless, follows two teachers in Hong Kong as they navigate the tragic consequences of new linguistic requirements, including a mandatory Mandarin proficiency examination in order to continue and progress in their language-teaching careers.
“One of the protagonists, Wai, is the most hardworking. She tries to replace her mother tongue, Cantonese, with Mandarin by speaking it whenever and wherever she is,” Lau explained. “She comes to believe that being a Cantonese-speaking Hong Konger is a physical disability compared to people from the Mainland or those in the US and Britain who speak English. Unluckily, Wai cannot change her mother tongue; her tongue rebels. She fails the exam and eventually commits suicide.”
The second protagonist, Ling, takes a more pragmatic—and surreal—approach. “She knows how to please her boss and those in power. She tries to escape the qualification exam through flattery and by purchasing expensive clothes to signal class and taste. When that fails, she turns to plastic surgery. She wants to change her face completely to resemble her boss.”
Addressing an audience that included foreign diplomats and business executives, Lau noted that while her inspiration was rooted in Hong Kong, the story resonates globally in any society where progress is defined by “endless competition.”
She emphasised that the core of the novel is the fundamental importance of choice. This is personified by a student character, Tsui Siu Hei, who Lau described as the only character to maintain his own voice throughout the book.
“At the climax of the story, he looks straight at his teacher and asks, ‘Have you ever reflected on yourself? Why do you need to follow the rules?’ He says, ‘It doesn’t matter what language I speak; I just want to make a choice.’ That single line is the core of my novel.”
Lau concluded her speech with a sobering warning: “When a school, a society, or a nation removes choice, it does not merely change the medium of instruction. It changes the right to exist as an authentic human being. It teaches an entire generation that some voices are legitimate and others must disappear. When enough people lose their tongues, the only language left is the language of power, resentment, and eventually violence.”
The event, held at the Chatrium Hotel, featured a welcoming remark from Dr. Kobsak Pootrakool, Director and Senior Executive Vice President of Bangkok Bank, which initiated and sponsored the awards.
“Right now, while the world is in great turmoil, we at Bangkok Bank realise that we must all try to unite to achieve a strong, sustainable economy and a safe environment so all our countries can advance,” Dr. Kobsak said.
Dr. Pisuth Lertvilai also delivered an opening speech, marking the 12th anniversary of Elite+ magazine, a key partner of the awards.
“The Chommanard International Women’s Literary Award has been created to recognise the best female writers in ASEAN and the China region,” Dr. Pisuth said. “Their works were submitted as original English texts or translated versions, and our panel of distinguished international judges had the difficult task of selecting the best.”
(Read more about Lau’s views and from finalists from other countries across the region here: Seven Asian writers gather at Khaosod ahead of Chommanard award )
