Born in Japaneseoccupied Taiwan raised in the scholarly traditions of ancientChina by his grandfather but forced into the Japanese educational system HuTaiming ... » 

Born in Japaneseoccupied Taiwan raised in the scholarly traditions of ancientChina by his grandfather but forced into the Japanese educational system HuTaiming the protagonist of Orphan of Asia ultimately finds himself estrangedfrom all three cultures. Wus autobiographical novel completed in 1945 iswidely regarded as a classic of modern Asian literature and a groundbreakingexpression of the postwar Taiwanese national consciousness. Originally writtenin Japanese and now translated into English for the first time Orphan of Asiaoffers a powerful depiction of the political cultural and psychologicalimpact of colonialism.Orphan of Asia begins during Taimings childhood in Taiwan which has beenannexed to Japan only recently. Taiming eventually makes his mark in thecolonial Japanese educational system and graduates from a prestigious college.However he finds that his Japanese education and his adoption of modern wayshave alienated him from his family and native village. He becomes a teacher inthe Japanese colonial system but soon realizes that there is somethingseriously wrong with the status quo. He quits his post but finds that havingrepudiated his roots he doesnt seem to belong anywhere.Thus begins Taimings long journey for his rightful place. But neither inJapan where he goes to study physics in the belief that technology representsthe future nor in mainland China where he marries and has a daughter does heever come to feel at home or find his calling. Although he assiduously avoidspolitics Taiming cant help being caught up in the conflicts that shapedmodern East Asian history. He is accused of spying for both China and Japanafter hostilities breakout between the two countries and he witnesses theeffects of Japanese imperial expansion the horrors of war and the sense ofanger and powerlessness felt by those living under colonial rule. «