A Study On Identity Transformation Of The Chinese In The Philippines In Postwar Period From The Perspective Of Literature

As immigrants, ethnic Chinese are not only the geographical migrants, but also cultural migrants. Exposed to exotic places and different cultures, they often feel confused by cultural conflicts and the loss of identity. So to speak, identity is an important problem troubling ethnic Chinese, and identity study is also a significant topic for the researchers. Former studies were mostly carried out from political or cultural perspectives, and researching methods and data collection always depended on complete theoretical formulating, also with analysis of social investigation data. From literary perspective, this paper attempts to clarify the changing process of identity of ethnic Chinese in the Philippines. This paper is going to elaborate on it from three periods:1. From the independence of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946 to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines in 1975. In early postwar period, overseas Chinese, who had just gone to the Philippines, had a strong sense of motherland-identity and strong belief of reverting to origin. However, the Philippines government implemented pro-US and pro-Taiwan policies, and broke off diplomatic relations with the new China, resulting in an “overseas orphan” psychology of the Chinese in the Philippines. Besides, the actualization of nationalistic Filipinization policy led to economic repulsion and attack to overseas Chinese, which made them much harder and adrift and estranged their identity toward the Philippines. We can refer to the Filipino-Chinese literature at that time. Many overseas Chinese called themselves “go-outs” or “esne” living in the Philippines. And nostalgic writings were covered with idealized color because of the harm and loss in foreign places, reflecting the wandering homesickness and eagerness to return. While “the other” were always shaped into negative images. Such stereo descriptions showed the sense of keeping distance and psychological resistance between overseas Chinese and Filipinos and the country itself. In a word, the typical image of the overseas Chinese in the Philippines in this period was “duckweed”, they identified themselves as Chinese both politically and culturally due to the sufferings of being rootless.2. From the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China in 1975 to 2000. After the establishment, a large number of overseas Chinese achieved naturalization, “an overseas Chinese community” transitioned to “an ethnic Chinese society”. From “overseas Chinese” to “ethnic Chinese”, political identity was successfully changed while cultural identity had entered into a painful adjusting period. So In the Filipino-Chinese literary works, the “self expression” of ethnic Chinese was “marginal men” who struggled between two different cultures. And the nostalgic writing changed from yearning of hometown to conceptual writing and cultural nostalgia by overlapping clan and country. And instead of all negative images, “the other” turned out to exist some positive images, even some Filipinos who has Chinese characteristics. In a word, the typical image in this period, tangling in two kinds of legal statuses and two different cultures, was the “marginal men” who were seeking roots. Their political identity had converted to the Philippines while their cultural identity was still directed to China.3. The new period since 2000. After 1990 s, the concept of integration spread widely in the Filipino-Chinese community. In 21 th century, with the new generation of ethnic Chinese growing up, integration has become the common view of the Chinese in the Philippines. Being closer to the mainstream society and communicating with the Filipinos, those ethnic Chinese’s cultural identity gradually tends to the Philippines. This change also can be found from the Filipino-Chinese literary works. They regards themselves as Filipinos, and the Philippines as the second hometown. And more vivid descriptions have been applied to shape the images of “the other”. The Filipinos can be regarded as families and friends. In short, during this period, those ethnic Chinese in the Philippines are just like the “dandelion”, taking roots and endless. Their political identity has been directed to the Philippines, and cultural identity inclines to the mainstream culture which absorbs merits from Chinese culture.All in all, by means of observing the writing of “self-explanations”, “nostalgia” and “the other” from the Filipino-Chinese literatures, we can roughly make a pattern of the transformation of identity of the Chinese in the Philippines: in early postwar period, the overseas Chinese were just like the "duckweed”, longing for taking roots in China; and they became the “marginal men” after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines, struggling in two different cultures and puzzled; after 21 th century, with the development of ethnic integration, ethnic Chinese are just like the “dandelion” and their identity has turned to the Philippines.