P-articles

P-articles was founded on 27 May 2018 by the House of Hong Kong Literature, offering both a website and a physical monthly magazine branch called Formless (無形).^[2] The website includes submissions, reviews and criticism, opinion columns, and interviews, with a literary news section in development at its launch.^[2] Funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, it was headquartered at the Museum of Hong Kong Literature's office.^[3] Tang Siu-wa [zh], the Museum's curator and writer, served as the magazine's chief editor, while writer Lawrence Pun [zh] was also part of the editorial board.^[2] Tang noted that the Museum established P-articles to evoke familiarity and interest among the public through literary criticism and interviews in accessible language, rather than focusing on abstract literary concepts.^[4]

In December 2020, a Macau column was introduced in Formless, inviting Macanese writers to contribute articles about Macau, with Un Sio San, Aolei Lu [zh], and Pan Lei [zh] among the first batch of submitters.^[5] The Hong Kong Arts Development Council had funded the magazine three times, with renewals every two years, and the most recent funding was provided in 2022.^[6] However, funding was subsequently withdrawn in 2024 following the Council's restructuring.^[3][6] In April 2024, Formless was announced to be discontinued after its 72nd and final volume was released that month,^[3] while the Museum of Hong Kong Literature found an alternative source of funding to sustain the website's operations.^[6] Staff was also reduced, leaving only one full-time member, and the headquarters was relocated to a smaller office along with the Museum of Hong Kong Literature, which also faced funding cuts from the Council.^[3]

Chief editor Tang Siu-wa explained that the magazine's English name "P-articles" is a literal translation of the Chinese name "虛詞" (meaning grammatical particles) and can also be interpreted as describing different emotional states while writing "articles", such as "playful", "painful", or "pleasant".^[2] P-articles's editorial team consisted of three members, namely executive editor Michelle Chan, editor Louis Tsang, and journalist Victor Wong.^[3] Chan noted that, unlike typical literary magazines, P-articles adopted a mass media-like business model after a period of operation, beginning to report on obituaries and news about award ceremonies, as well as allowing submissions on social issues.^[3] Articles on the website are updated weekly, with the first batch featuring column articles by writer Hon Lai-chu.^[2] While the physical edition Formless had a specific theme for each volume, the editorial team would approach and invite related writers and content creators to contribute.^[3] Both the website and magazine did not restrict submissions based on the identity of the contributor, for instance, there were visual artists submitting reviews of animes.^[3]

Tang noted that they aimed to keep up with every year's major publications, mentioning that about 80-90% of the newly published Hong Kong books were covered in their news, interviews, or reviews.^[7] A total of 7,500 copies of Formless were published each month, a number Chan noted far exceeded that of any other literary magazine in Hong Kong, with about 90% distributed with Jet Magazine, while the remainder was sold at independent bookstores.^[3]