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Post by NZBC on Jul 30, 2008 18:59:27 GMT 12
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Seeking stories written by ethnic Chinese born or raised outside of China about journeys to their country of origin, Khu, a visiting scholar at the Centre of Asian Studies at Hong Kong University, required that the writers "include explanations of why they'd made the trip... and whether it had led them to assess or reassess their ethnic identity." She gathered these stellar essays from contributors in a dazzling range of locales, including the United States, China, England, Indonesia and Japan. Many of the writers begin by describing the confusing experience of coming of age as a minority. In a particularly strong selection, Milan L. Lin-Rodrigo writes of the difficulties of growing up ethnically Chinese in rural Sri-Lanka: "I was always called `cheeni,' the `Chinese girl'... [yet] I was Chinese only in appearance; neither my sister nor I spoke a word of Chinese." The journey to China soothed this sense of displacement for some of the authors, like Meilin Ching, who writes about finding "a place where I could fit in, where I could easily belong." For others, the trip to China was devastatingly frustrating: raised in the U.S. since the age of six, Nancy Work expected to blend in there, but reports that living in China only "showed me how American I was in most of my ideas and principles." Each of these fine pieces is fluidly written and highly personal. Offering insight into experiences not often studied, they will appeal to academics as well as any reader interested in Asian and ethnic studies.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
These autobiographical essays record the stories of ethnic Chinese who have lived most of their lives abroad and who travel to China, often for the first time, as adults, sometimes to work but always to meet their relatives and confront their country of ancestry. The writers also share the privilege of being well educated, articulate, English-speaking, and, if not wealthy, at least sufficiently well off to finance such a trip. Whether they have come from the United States, Denmark, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or New Zealand, they clash with relatives, who often have great expectations from such a visitor. Language is frequently a problem, and many of these visitors find that it is far easier to fit into a cosmopolitan place such as Hong Kong than a tiny, remote village in South China. Most of the authors conclude that just looking Chinese is not enough to create a bond; a common cultural history is essential. Khu, a visiting scholar in Asian studies at Hong Kong University, has done a nice job of gathering these stories. Recommended for public libraries. Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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