AustLit

'Belonging is longing, a longing. For migrants to live in a land they have chosen to settle themselves in, to be(long) or not to be(long) is a crucial question. It depends on what they long for: Is it a temporary abode for short-term benefits before packing up and going home, a permanent enclave on its own or a (second) home where they feel they truly belong or want to be long in? This paper seeks to examine issues of belonging for first and second generation mainland Chinese migrants in a post-malticultural Australia where the idea of multiculturalism is being rendered increasingly obsolete, becoming almost 'mal' as in the sense of malfunctioning.[1] The discussion will be based on three books, Wang Hong's novel, jile yingwu (Extremely Happy Parrots), Shen Zhimin's novel, donggan baozang (Dynamic Treasure Trove) and Leslie Zhao (Zhao Chuan)'s photographic novel, he ni qu ouzhou (Going to Europe with You).'