Pursuit And Construction: The Identity Of Overseas Chinese Literature

In the long process beginning from the immigration,immigrants often found themselves that it is relatively easier to obtain the right to live in a foreign country-such as "Permanent Resident" or "Green Card" as they are called in USA-than to establish their true feeling of culture belongings.Therefore,the overseas Chinese literature frequently portrays the awkward status of Chinese immigrants and their children:they often found that they have alienated themselves not only from their motherland but also from the "New Land".Overseas Chinese writers always describe this puzzle,and try to solve their identity crises by reconstructing their lost "home garden".This attempt, however,sometimes even push the problem of identity to more awkward and ambiguous, for they have to be involved in a complicated contemporary cultural environment,which therefore even intensify the anxiety of identity,through searching ways to open up and cultivate their through literature creations.This paper attempts to pierce through the embarrassing psychology of new immigrants through the view and analysis of Chinese immigrant writer in middle of disjointed and thin culture atmosphere about new Chinese immigrants who are going through the rapid changes of living environment and are struggling in the middle of identity crises.The writings of new immigrant Chinese writers demonstrated the traditions of Chinese nationality as well as newly built culture identities in conjunction with regional and local cultures in the countries where these expatriates live,and they illustrated that the construction of new culture identities is necessary process for new immigrants to go through in order to get over with or relieved from the identity anxiety.The introduction of this paper outlines the current research status on the overseas Chinese immigrant literature and significance of various research theories.At the same time,it introduces hypotheses,empirical evidences,key points and structure of this paper.The first chapter classifies the main periods of overseas Chinese literature and its influence on the generation of expatriate Chinese writers.If we look from the time and space coordinates,North American Chinese writers already gone through four generations.The first generation of overseas Chinese literature started at the beginning of the last century;followed by the second generation around the middle of the last century as characterized by the students from Taiwan who came to US to study.The third generation was formed at the beginning of 80s of the last century amid the wave of mainland Chinese students coming to US to study;it mainly consists of writers from mainland China.The fourth generation of overseas Chinese writers was born out of the information and globalization age,that includes writers of second generation over seas Chinese.The main themes of the overseas Chinese literature have undergone transitions from exposing early Chinese immigrants without any identities,to the extension of overseas Chinese history,to the physical as well as spiritual separation,to the common suffering of immigrants in foreign countries,and to reconstruction of culture identities.If it is writer Bai XianYong who first showed his deep understanding of the agony of Chinese students in America due to their lost identities,then it must be writer Nie Hua Ling who untiringly pursued the answer to the question "where is our destination?" for overseas Chinese in the 20^th century.From overseas Chinese student literature to new immigrant literature,the works by writer Yan Ge Ling further extends to a new dimension of Chinese immigrant literature through creation of a series of female immigrant characters and revealed question of culture identity and belonging about the overseas Chinese literature.The Chapter 2 concentrates on contribution of immigrant literature to the world hall of literature fame through analysis of works of immigrant writers.Examining the literature map,overseas Chinese literature can be divided into four distinct plates,they are North American plate,South East Asian plate,Australian plate and European plate. Among these plates,the North American Chinese literature unquestionably is most dynamic and vigorous and is widely considered as the center of overseas Chinese literature.As the number of new immigrant Chinese writers grows rapidly in North America,this group which consists of the most creative writers demonstrates its distinct characters stamped with modern thinking and sprig,reflecting the ethnic\Language\ religious\culture Hybrid social status.Judged either by the research and development of literature or by the influence on the modern Chinese literature,its importance can not be underestimated.The Chapter 3 To investigate the identity of language.Immigrant writers feel mixed with the phenomenon of aphasia and language.Geopolitical changes in literature, although because of the alienation of the local culture and give birth to divide and suffering,but also led to new changes in a foreign land,but a writer of exceptional conditions and opportunity.Language boundaries will expand to rewrite the history of Chinese literature and bring about new opportunities:from the diaspora,recourse to enter into a conscious construction of identity,that is,the boundaries of language rather than national or ethnic boundaries to construct the history of literature.The Chapter 4 is on the literature at margin positions or simply margin literature and construction of culture identities.As a result of globalization and information age, exchanges of ideas and cultures are no longer limited by time and space.In the multicultural world,amidst of multicultural living spaces and desires by individual for their distinct identities,a literature with multicultural character was born,it provides writers with wider variety forms of expression and abundance of materials for literature creations.It enables modern writers with less effort to carry conversations with their counter parts from different cultures in contrast to their predecessors.It also permits contemporary writers to conduct deeper exploration of immigrant's inner worlds and to penetrate into core of alien culture.The information age,with help of internet technologies,brought out numerous platforms for expressions,which breaks time and space boundaries,and enables different expressions spontaneously appear and bouncing among different cultures and mediums and provides writers with more creative ideas. Therefore the potentials of these writers have attracted attentions of many overseas readers as well as literature scholars.The chapter 5 most of the famous Overseas Chinese Women Writers are included in this "Overseas Chinese Women Writers".No matter they came from Mainland or Taiwan of China,no matter they are immigrants or students,they all contribute their rich experience to their works,exploring their inner world and the universe,as well as the life in the human society,elaborates the horizontal relationship between overseas Chinese literature and world history,and its position in the world literature history.Despite the painful separation from its native culture,overseas Chinese literature grows up in their alien lands and provides unique opportunities and optimal conditions for overseas Chinese writers.The chapter 6 focuses on Cross-cultural communication is the common need of human life.Its complexity derives from the plurality,difference and variation of a culture.Oversea Chinese culture has broken our narrow visual field to the traditional destiny of Chinese culture,preseted various life appearances that tradition endured painful childbirth in modern society.Its various differences show deep contact with Chinese cultural tradition,immigrant literature cross culture boundaries,including the influence of western culture on the immigrant literature through analysis and dissection of outstanding works,especially the novels,by the most active new immigrant writers in North America,with attempt to explore the possible directions of development of overseas Chinese literature and meanwhile to display its unique values in the process.The chapter 7 introduces the formation of multicultural concept and the movement of new age.In today's world,the cross influence between western and eastern cultures plays a great role in the development of overseas Chinese immigrant literature and creates abundant materials for human study.The new immigrant writers act as a transitional role between the past and the future in the process of culture convergence. Culture determines values,new culture identities.The difference of oriental and western civilizations results in two great values—individualism and collectivism.Although the historical stream has witnessed endless conflicts and obstacles between different cultures and values,The pursuit of moral spirit of universalism will lead the two great civilizations to the same road of fusion and integration,and to the ultimate realization of the supreme ideal of human freedom and peace.