Ganjading Road

Author: (USA) Jianxiu Zhao (Chin/F); Wenwen Zhao / Kang Wenkai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The novel's peculiar title, "The Gunga Din Road," is derived from a famous poem by the British writer Rudyard Kipling (1865—1936), "Gunga Din," which was later adapted into a renowned Hollywood film. The poem depicts an Indian water boy serving the British colonialist army invading India. In Zhao Jianxiu's view, Gunga Din is a national traitor, making "The Gunga Din Road" a path to hell. Embracing white mainstream culture and perceiving American Chinese as inferior foreigners is a betrayal of the traditions and identity of American Chinese. The novel's section titled "Creation" primarily tells the life story of the actor Longman Guan, who harbors a great desire to portray the character of Charlie Chan. Charlie Chan is a fictional American Chinese detective who appeared in fifty films between 1925 and 1949 and became widely famous. Often played by white actors, Charlie Chan is exceptionally clever and always solves cases. He represents the stereotypical image of Easterners accepted by white mainstream society: obese, lacking sensuality, always subservient to whites, speaking non-standard English, and making up quotations from Confucius for comedic effect. Guan Longman's single-minded pursuit of the role of Charlie Chan, which he cannot attain, reveals the fact that American Chinese cannot hope to play true heroes in Hollywood like white actors. Guan Longman can only endlessly play subservient supporting roles for superior white protagonists. To Zhao Jianxiu, this represents a false myth about American Chinese that must be exposed and destroyed.