“One Nanyang, Diverse Identities”: An Approach to Understanding the Classical Chinese Poets in Singapore

Abstract

Since modern Singapore was founded in 1819, different generations of Chinese immigrants have come to live there. The intellectuals among them established literary societies and composed classical Chinese poetry. Different generations of poets wrote about Singapore in different ways. Sojourner poets wrote about Nanyang (a Chinese word referring to Southeast Asia in general, and Malaya and Singapore in particular) as a foreign land; their poetry reflected a strong sense of homesickness. In contrast, the naturalized first-generation and localized poets considered Nanyang their native land; their poetry focused more on Singaporean stories and experiences. Classical Chinese poetry by Chinese immigrants in Singapore, thus, has its own characteristics even as it draws on the essence of Chinese cultural tradition.

Keywords

Nanyang / Singapore, identity / classical Chinese poets

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