Subversion And Reconstruction: A Study Of Chinese Canadian Images In The Jade Peony

Wayson Choy, born in 1939, is a famous Chinese Canadian writer. His famous novel The Jade Peony, described the living conditions in Vancouver’s Chinatown in the 1930 s and 1940 s of last century and recalled the tough struggles of Chinese Canadians. It is the key document used in the studies of overseas Chinese culture and thus worth further research.The thesis discussed the Chinese Canadian images in The Jade Peony using the renowned critic Edward Said’s post-colonial theory. It mainly analyzed how Canadian mainstream society portrayed negative Chinese images and how The Jade Peony built positive Chinese images.The introduction of this thesis explained the writer Wayson Choy’s literary works and the main plot of The Jade Peony. It also summarized Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism in the western academia and summarized related researches both at home and abroad. Chapter one analyzed Chinese Canadians’ marginalized position in Canadian mainstream discourse and the reasons. Chapter two analyzed how The Jade Peony subverted the negative Chinese images and built positive Chinese images. Chapter three explained the new images of Chinese Canadians. Chinese Canadians should treasure their own history and culture and live in harmony with other communities. The thesis concluded that The Jade Peony made great achievements by challenging Orientalism, subverting Canadian mainstream society’s twisted and degraded portrayal of Chinese images and rebuilding many positive Chinese images.