Spatial Narrative in A Touch of Green

Abstract

Drawing on the theoretical framework of Spatial Narrative, this paper analyses the profound connection between geographical shifts and psychological transformations in Bai Xianyong’s novel A Touch of Green.The study focuses on the contrasting narratives of the two polarised spaces of Nanjing and Taipei: Nanjing, represented by ‘Ren’ai East Village’, is constructed as a wartime utopia brimming with warmth yet inherently fragile, whose inevitable collapse sets the tone of trauma; Taipei, by contrast, is presented as a place of exile devoid of meaning, where the alienating and stagnant spatial texture externalises the characters’ rootlessness and sense of entrapment.The thesis further draws upon Long Diyong’s theory of ‘circular narrative space’ ( ) to elucidate how the novel, through the perspective of Mrs Qin’s recollections, weaves Nanjing and Taipei into a self-contained, inescapable narrative loop. Ultimately, this paper reveals how the spatial narrative of A Touch of Green elevates the experiences of specific historical individuals into universal human existential dilemmas concerning the trauma of war, the stagnation of time and eternal homesickness.