The Nanyang Experience: Through the Lens of Southeast Asian Chinese Literature (南洋经验：探视东南亚华文文学)

In the early days, Southeast Asia was the region with the largest number of Chinese immigrants. At that time, this area was generally referred to as Nanyang” or Southern Ocean. According to unofficial statistics, a century before the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949, 80 to 90% of Chinese immigrants had settled in Southeast Asia and accounted for about 6% of the total population of Southeast Asia. Owing to their long residence in their adopted countries, the Chinese played an important role in the local economic, social and cultural development: where there are Chinese, there is Chinese culture, and Chinese literature played a critical role in the process. Southeast Asian Chinese literature is the most important sector of global Chinese literature outside of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The development trajectory of Chinese literature in Southeast Asian countries is different for each country, and the literary creation of each country also has its own local characteristics. CLT254 The Nanyang Experience: Through the Lens of Southeast Asian Chinese Literature aims to introduce the historical context of Chinese literature development in Southeast Asian countries other than Singapore and Malaysia. Through an appreciation of the literary works of individual writers from a range of countries, students will understand the development trajectory of Chinese literature in Southeast Asian countries, as well as the ideology and literary characteristics of these works.

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