Overleaf Hong Kong

by XI

For the millions of wah kiu or "overseas Chinese," life in the world beyond China's borders is fraught with the question of identity. In these stories and essays, written over the past thirty years, Xu Xi explores the joys, fears, idealism, disappointments, dreams and lives of the wah kiu. In Overleaf Hong Kong , she takes us around the globe, from Southeast Asia to Europe to North America to the Pacific, in her quest to address the problem of all wah kius -- what does being "Chinese" mean once your ancestors have left the homeland?

210 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2005

Reviews

[bermudianabroad · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I opened this book in the library, deciding whether to check it out or not, this is the line I read: ' I shat a tapeworm the next morning - almost ten inches long - and she never cooked pork again.'
I figured that was a pretty impressive first line to read, and now the book is home with me. Let's see if the rest of it holds up to such a memorable introduction.

... It held up. Turns out I've even read Famine, one of her short stories, before. I got more out of the collection of essays on what it means to be Chinese but not; to belong to a variety of cultures but to always be on the fringes of them. She doesn't waffle. She gets to the point and makes a succinct, precise observation and wraps it up. I found I would read some of her essays on writing several times, reminding myself of the reasons I want to write. The stories were a little disappointing, a little vague and ethereal. I would have preferred something more solid, meatier.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

11 short stories all featuring overseas Chinese characters give varying perspectives on what it means to not be Chinese living in China. Some are children of mixed marriages, some are Chinese living in other Asian countries for so long as to appear more citizens of those countries, and all have identity issues. I particularly liked "Go Parents" about a traveling elderly Chinese couple and "The Raining Tree" about a girl of mixed descent who has suffered prejudice and although is successful is insecure. The rest of the book includes 13 essays on being overseas Chinese, writing and reactions to 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. Interesting work.