Xi Xu, Chinese Walls

Amy Lai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Ed. by John Thieme, University of East Anglia
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.4.2: Hong Kong, Singaporean, Malaysian and Myanmar Writing and Culture.

Dates

First circulation or publication 1994

Places

Hong Kong (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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This novel, set against the background of 1960s and 1970s Hong Kong, offers a vivid record of how Hong Kong Chinese defended their “Chinese” identity in British Hong Kong, before the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the issue of 1997 loomed its threatening shadow.

Though the central character, Ai-Lin’s, parents are Chinese Indonesians, and several generations of their families were rooted in Indonesia, they consider themselves ethnically and culturally Chinese. Hence they refuse to give Ai-Lin an English name even after though they send her to a Catholic English school, which they believe will provide her with the best education. That they guard their “Chinese Walls” severely, even to the extent of …

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320 words

Citation: Lai, Amy. "Chinese Walls". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 November 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12472, accessed 04 October 2023.]

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