Urban Space, War, and the "Legend" of Women: A Study on Spatial Politics and Female Survival Strategies in Love in a Fallen City

Kejie Chen

doi:10.54691/1jj7j897

Authors

Kejie Chen Lingnan Normal University, Foshan, 528237, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/1jj7j897

Keywords:

Spatial Politics; Women's Survival Strategies; War Narratives; Urban Space;

Abstract

The tension between the "legendary" reputation of *Love in a Fallen City* and its "anti-legendary" reality has long been a focal point in academic research. Centered on spatial politics, this article explores the interplay among urban space, wartime violence, and women's survival strategies. Before the war, the feudal ethics of Bai Gongguan and the colonial desires of Shallow Water Bay formed mechanisms of discipline, while Hong Kong's occupation reconfigured spatial order. Within this transformation, Bai Liusu develops a survival strategy encompassing bodily management, emotional control, spatial mobility, and timing. The story of "Love in a fallen city" is not a triumph of romantic love, but rather a pragmatic narrative of self-preservation by a divorced woman navigating dual crises through careful negotiation and compromise.

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