Trying to Find China Town - Play

Cultural Identity

This play Trying to Find Chinatown, as well as Cathy Song's Lost Sister reflect a common cultural conflict and how to overcome cultural stereotypes. The characters are mostly bound together by their culture but they differ in lifestyle. The multicultural background shaped their lives. The narrators and characters in these three works are Asian Americans who are suffering innate conflicts on their cultural identities and who they are in reality. By comparing these three pieces, I see that the best way to understand cultural identity is that one should take the time to absorb their way of life to really appreciate their culture. Although some like to define others by their skin color, and others want to confirm to another culture, it is important to not lose sight of one's background while still adjusting to society today.

The play "Trying To Find Chinatown" depicted two perspectives on modern Chinese -American identity on a New York City street when Benjamin meets Ronnie. They debate the ethnic identities and disagree with each other. The charm of this play is that each character is equally attractive. Their arguments, though oppositional, are equally reasonable. The writer tried to determine that the ethnic characteristics are belonging to culture rather than skin color. In this play, there are some deep misunderstandings between the East and the West regarding to race. Therefore, I think deepening understanding of multicultural background will help immigrants understand their ethnic identity. Race and skin color should not be the only judge of dominating identity.

I am surprised that in Ronnie and Benjamin's dialogue, Benjamin cited a Chinese classical warrior's character, Gwan Gung. Wherever in the Peking Opera, the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", or in the immigrants' heart, the Gwan Gung is incarnated as a God of Warrior with deep loyalty. His image is so classical that it spurs the overseas immigrants to strive for their life in America. Early immigrants will regard him as their own spiritual power that gave them the strong faith. Also, he is a reflection of the greatest hero in Chinese ancient novels. As Benjamin says in this play, "There're altars to him up all over the community. (Page 1561)Indeed, many Chinese immigrants worship Gwan Gung, who is a role model of filial piety, loyalty and righteousness.

The poem Lost Sister describes the lives of two kinds of Chinese women. One chooses to leave China and begin a new life in America, while the other chooses to remain in China and traditional Chinese culture. I think this poem gives a comparison of the two generations of women and how they are influenced by different cultures and lifestyles. Now many younger generations wish to go to America to have a better life. They look like "diluting jade green with the blue of the Pacific" (1060). These women were admirable since they explored and embraced a new culture. Their lives were transformed. They did not have to "learn to walk in shoes the size of teacups, without breaking."