By starting off
with the quote, “The Chinese believe smoke is
a way to communicate between the world of the living and the world of the
dead,” Daisann McLane not only pulls the reader into the
spiritual mysteries of the oriental world, but draws an intense connection
between the superstitions and myths of Hong Kong and the housing projects that
work relentlessly to repair and rebuild the overpopulated city. The
cliff-hanger within the first segment builds up suspense for the rest of the
piece, something I’ve not seen often in travel writing pieces; “The ghosts! They’re all here! This is
where they go!”
McLane gives essense to the city—the most striking line for
me here was: “The most commonly
used word in Hong Kong isn’t in Cantonese but English: ‘Sorry.’” It speaks
volumes about the city (it’s Americanization) without editorializing. Even
details from daily life, including the fish in the market, help add an
authentic, intelligent voice to this piece. It settles readers in for the
inevitable subpoint: “’Foreigners coming to Hong Kong for the first time always
ask if Hong Kong has changed since the handover from Britain to China,’ said
one of Lau’s friends, pointing down from the tin toi to streets filled with
Friday evening happy hour revelers. ‘They want to know if we have become more
Chinese. Actually, we are becoming less Chinese.’”
That being said, there are
elements in this story that don’t seem to add to these overarching ideas of
overcrowding, Americanization, Oriental superstition/myth, etc. For example, I
think the paragraphs detailing the tradition of eating on ones roof are
excessive. Though it does shed more light on the cuisine in China, I didn’t see
it as essential to the major points McLane was trying to draw upon.
What I enjoy about this piece is the narrator's obvious connection to the city as someone who is foreign to the culture but who has become more than just a visitor to the city in the time that he has spent there. It makes the piece feel a lot more real and eloquent.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the descriptions in this piece. They were lively and colloquial, yet vivid, intricate and informative. The author brings character to each person she encounters in this story, and the overall theme works to create an educational and engaging experience.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way she tied in her experience of going to the Temple of One Hundred Names to her community. I also liked her language throughout. The piece flowed nicely, although it seemed that she was going off on tangents for most of the piece, especially when she talks about eating on the roof. I felt the piece captured her Hong Kong and not the tourist Hong Kong, which was nice.
ReplyDeleteI adore the way the story enters and leaves in smoke. It's a long piece, but I felt like I was moving fast through it. Partially because of the language and – as Dani said – the cliff hanger uniquely adds to the piece. I also liked the narrator's voice in the dialog, using her words to explain things instead of propose more questions.
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