Intercultural Exchanges In David Henry Hwang's Chinglish

David Henry Hwang(1957-), a Chinese American, is one of the most important contemporary American dramatists. This thesis undertakes to explore the parameters of the intercultural exchanges in Chinglish and reveal Hwang's imagination of a changed picture of Sino-U.S. communications in the 21 st century.First and foremost, the economic exchanges are represented to be devoid of their previous connotations of the American supremacy, indicating Hwang's keen awareness of the rise of China. Secondly, social interactions of the Westerners with Chinese in the play demonstrate Westerners' willingness to adapt into Chinese “guanxi-oriented” society, revealing Hwang's constant concerns of intercultural exchanges in the era of globalization based on mutual respect. Thirdly, it approaches the extramarital affair between Xi Yan and Daniel as an embodiment of affective or emotive communications between Chinese and American cultures. The fact that these two married people fall in love with each other but end up with Daniel respect for Xi Yan's decision not to get a divorce on account of her “qingyi” for her husband suggests Hwang's awareness of equal but different cultures and appeal for mutual respect for the differences.In a word, Chinglish highlights Hwang's perception of new Sino-U.S. relations in the new millenium. On the text level, Chinglish shows the differences between individuals in the process of intercultural exchanges, and aims to promote mutual understanding between China and America. In terms of theoretical significance, Chinglish calls on individuals with different cultural backgrounds should respect each other in intercultural exchanges. From the perspective of Sino-U.S. international relations, Hwang puts forward constructive suggestions for the new Sino-U.S. Relations, and appeals for extensive and equal exchanges for common good between the Chinese and American cultures.