EmployingtheclassicChinesesaying“returninghomewithglory”(manzaironggui)asthetitle,MichaelWilliamshighlightstheimportanceofreturnandhomeinthehistoryoftheconnectionsestablishedandmaintainedbetweenvillagersinthePearlRiverDeltaandvariousPacificportsfromthetimeoftheCalifornianandAustraliangoldrushestothefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChina.
ConventionalscholarshiponChinesemigrationtendstoprivilegenation-statefactorsorconceptswhicharedependentonnationalboundaries.Suchapproachesaremoreconcernedwiththemigrants’settlementinthedestinationcountry,downplayingtheawkwardfactthatthemajorityoftheoverseasChinese(huaqiao)originallyintendedto(andeventuallydid)returntotheirhomevillages(qiaoxiang).WilliamsgoesbacktothebasicsbyconsideringthestronginfluenceexertedbythefamilyandthehomevillageonthosewhofirstsetoutinordertogiveabetterappreciationofhowandwhymanymodestcommunitiesinsouthernChinabecamemoremodernandaffluent.Healsogivesavoicetothosewhoneverlefttheirvillages(womeninparticular).Designedasasinglecasestudy,thisworkpresentsdetailedresearchbasedonthemorethaneightyvillagesoftheLongDudistrict(nearZhongshanCityinGuangdongProvince),aswellasthethreemajordestinations—Sydney,SanFrancisco,andHonolulu—ofthehuaqiaowhocamefromthisregion.Outofthisanalysisofwhattrulymatteredtothevillagers,thechoicestheyhadandmade,andwhatconstitutedsuccessandfailureintheirlives,asympatheticportrayalofthehuaqiaoemerges.
ReturningHomewithGloryinauguratestheHongKongUniversityPressbookseries“CrossingSeas”.
