Study on the Lingnan Culture of Chinese Caribbean in Pao from the Spatial Perspective of Creolization

Abstract

From the spatial perspective of Creolization, this paper explores the inheritance and reconstruction of Lingnan cultural elements in the Caribbean context in Pao, a novel by the Chinese-Jamaican writer Kerry Yang. Focusing on three dimensions-culinary culture, martial arts practice, and community ethics-it offers a close analysis of how Lingnan culture achieves creative transformation through encounters with diverse cultures and develops into an evolving creolized cultural practice. This process constructs a micro-space for identity negotiation and power interaction within the Chinese Caribbean community. The paper argues that Lingnan culture in the novel is not a static relic of nostalgia, but a relational network dynamically generated within the distinctive context of the Caribbean islands. Culinary techniques are deeply embedded with local ingredients, traditional martial arts are integrated with the survival codes of Jamaican streets, and community ethics transcend clan boundaries toward cross-racial solidarity. Creolization thus functions not only as a survival strategy for the Chinese diaspora to maintain their cultural roots, but also as a vital pathway to break rigid racial boundaries and construct a multifaceted identity.