Born in Hong Kong in 1961, Chan obtained his degree from Taiwan's Tunghai University and pursued his postgraduate studies at Lingnan University. He is the founder of the journals 《呼吸詩刊》 [Breathe] and 《詩潮》 [Wave of Poetry], and is currently teaching at the Education University of Hong Kong. His publications include 《解體我城：香港文學1950-2005》(Disintegration of My City : Hong Kong Literature 1950-2005) and 《地文誌：追憶香港地方與文學》(Land and Words : Recollections on Places of Hong Kong and Its Literature).