Postcolonial literature about the South Seas, or Nanyang, examines the
history of Chinese migration, localization, and interethnic exchange in
Southeast Asia, where Sinophone settler cultures evolved independently
by adapting to their "New World" and mingling with native cultures.
Writing the South Seas explains why Nanyang encounters, neglected by
most literary histories, should be considered crucial to the national
literatures of China and Southeast Asia.