The city and people in the Singaporean Writer Xi Ni Er's works

Abstract

After the nation was founded in 1965, Singapore has been facing the threats from surrounding Malay sovereign states and has learned from the West in order to survive. Within such environment, Chinese education has been suppressed in the reality that threatens the survival of the nation and the people. Therefore, the continued existence and preservation of the Chinese language, education and tradition have long been an important topic of concern to Chinese writers. It is also in such reality of Chinese tradition being oppressed by pragmatism that the characteristics of Singapore as the Floating City become even more obvious. This article aims to explore how Xi Ni Er, as a representative writer of the middle generation, traces history, searches for the Chinese traditions and describes Singapore's characteristics as the Floating City through his own writings.