Spiritual Hometown And Cultural Divide

Hong Ying is one of the writers on behalf of Diaspora writing. Hong Ying, Yan Geling and Zhang Ling are three most important Diaspora Chinese writers. As a writer, Hong Ying was read in the group of foreign writers. Hong Ying's six novels were translated into different languages and published in Europe, America, Australia and South Korea and other countries. Her works were paid attention by foreign readers and scholars. She won many literary prizes in Taiwan, Italy and the US. In recent years, the domestic academic research on Hong Ying is rising. The works of Hong Ying's feminism, gender consciousness, awareness of women's studies have been thorough. At the beginning of her writing career, she was a poet. As a writer who is a poet as well, imagery has multiple meanings in her work.'River' is a significant image in her work. In this dissertation, I will analyze the elements in Hong Ying's spiritual world through image'River', and analyze Hong Ying's three classic contexts, explore the meaning of 'River' in terms of three aspects:time, space and culture. Connected with 'River' image, I will find the innovation in Hong Ying's work, and her unique part and distinguishing feature in Diaspora literature, even Chinese contemporary literature.In Hong Ying's work,'River' is a rich and three-dimensional image. Imagery as 'Eyes', played the role of coherent the spirit and meaning in the text. Through'River'imagery, she conveyed her caring of the poor people. This caring is not to say it bluntly, but in a calm and rational way penetrated into the description of Yangtze. Hong Ying's 'River' imagery played the poly scattered regulation in her spiritual world. Then, as a person who grows up along the Yangtze, Yangze river saw all the important moments and big decisions in her life:the beginning of her family; her relationship with her teacher; she knew her life experience; and finally left her home. Although Hong Ying didn't know where to go, but the determination of leaving is very firm. As a Diaspora writer, Hong Ying is interested in the exchange of different cultures.'River' is the home of her spiritual world. When she was living in London,'River' is a wide gap between her culture and Western culture.In this dissertation, I try to analyze three classic contexts. These three books were completed in a row, and they could be able to reflect the values and spirit of Hong Ying systematically and completely. "The Daughter of The River" is her growth history. "K" is her understandings of love and marriage. "Anada" is her reflections on religion and people.'River' is the common imagery in these three books. "The Daughter of The River" is happened along Yangtze, and connected to the main role in this book. "The Daughter of The River" is her life experience, and three years of famine brought the significant influence on Hong Ying in three aspects:food, love and sex. The beginning of this book is trying to learn about her life experience. "Illegitimate" brought a sense of original sin and marginal person feeling to Hong Ying. "Ananda" is happening in Ganges. Hong Ying chose the location of the story in the river of the eastern religions, and hidden under her narrative carnival, she thought about religion, penalty and sin. "K" is a love story happened between two people who come from different countries and cultures. Julian is the second generation of Bloomsbury. He visited Tsingtao during the Second World War, and met a Chinese lady Min, who is a scholar in Crescent School. They were getting to know each other and different cultures, and they fell in love. But the tragic result of their relationship is a kind of reflection about Hong Ying's thinking of the exchange of culture.'River'imagery has the meaning in time, space and culture. First,'River'imagery is time, it saw Hong Ying's growth and many generations along Yangtze River. Then,'River'is a road from this side to dreamland. This side is the normal life, and the dreamland is the dream and ideal. But in Hong Ying's work, all the dreamlands haven't been approached. All the roles in her work has the tragic life. As a person who grows along the river, Hong Ying has the instinct close feeling to'River'. When she was living in London, she couldn't fit in Western culture. However, Western culture certainly has influence on Hong Ying. In the process of examining eastern and western cultures, Hong Ying found the tension between these cultures.In Diaspora literature, even contemporary literature, Hong Ying created a unique and personal 'River'imagery. In terms of context, Hong Ying never hides her excitement in narrating. When you read "The Daughter of The River", it is like getting to know about a bitter soul. Although it is an autobiography, she combined personal life experience and the process of the whole society. In "Anada" combines romance, detective, corruption and other common factors in the narrating. In terms of content, Hong Ying has beyond the limitations of gender writing, "she beyond the tone of Chinese female writers in her time". Through writing the poor people living in south bank of Yangtze River, Hong Ying expressed her concern for the people at the bottom, but also reflects the 'one nation, one time', and she didn't repeat licking her personal wounds, but think and view the history of our nation in an open-minded way. As a Diaspora writer, Hong Ying is not limited in 'nation' and 'homeland', her self-seeking and the thinking of sin and cultural communication is the common issue among human being. She is not only the representative of Diaspora writer, but also the representative of Chinese contemporary literature.