Exploring the Image of Hometown in the Eyes of Exiles

Taking Pai Hsien-yung's Taipei People as an Example

Abstract

Pai Hsien-yung wrote in "Taipei People" about a number of cities that are the so-called hometowns of the group of "Taipei People" who are actually "foreigners". They are in Taipei, but their hearts are always thinking of their hometown in mainland China. For them, their hometown is not only a space where they used to live, but also a carrier of their fond memories, a symbol of their hometown culture, and even a heterotopian space with fantasy. In the eyes of people living in Taipei, their hometown is actually a spiritual space representing their hometown culture. Whether it is nostalgia for their hometown or remembrance of the past, it is nothing but a manifestation of cultural identity. Taking Pai Hsien-yung's Taipei People as an example, this paper explores the image of the hometown in the eyes of exiles by combining textual analysis and cultural research. By analysing the characters and emotional expressions in the novel, it is found that the hometown is not only the space where these "Taipei people" used to live, but also the carrier of their beautiful memories and the symbol of their hometown culture. In their eyes, the hometown is characterised as a fantastical heterotopian space. Through their nostalgia for their hometowns and their memories of the past, these displaced persons express their identification with their hometown culture. Therefore, in the eyes of the exiles, the hometown is a kind of spiritual space, representing the intrinsic value of the hometown culture.