SILF 2010: Mo Zhi Hong on growing up in a multitude of worlds

Many people in the audience are curious about why Mo would choose to write about China in light of his many global experiences. For him the answer is simple. "Because... I'm Chinese," he says. This ethnic identity is his personal reason for wanting to expose modern China to a Western audience. "China is an interesting topic now, there are a lot of pieces to the country. It's interesting in a way the other places I lived in weren't."

There is certainly a lot to write about when it comes to the country's fast-paced metamorphosis. Mo talks about how the China he is currently experiencing as an adult reminds him very little of the China he knew 20 years ago as a kid. These changes are not just physical, but social - while teaching English in Dalian, he constantly interacted with young people and saw how Western influences impacted their lives. His novel stems from the desire to explore and examine how far these cultural influences can go, and whether they become detrimental if left unchecked, turning into a sort of modern day cultural imperialism.

Despite his familiarity with Dalian, Mo remains an outsider and whether he can authentically represent a Chinese voice becomes a concern. While this issue bothered him at certain points in his writing, he says that he dealt with it by running over details with Chinese friends, and making no pretense that the point of view in the novel only reaches as far as his own experiences. His status as an outsider also helps the book "have an element of observance that a local writer born and brought up in China might not have," he argues.

Mo Zhi Hong at the Shanghai Lit Fest, March 20.

Local author Lynn Pan asks Mo about the authenticity of his dialogue - she references Hong Kong writer Timothy Mo, who took out all the articles in his characters' speech to make them sound Cantonese. Mo says he considered directly translating dialogue from Chinese to English, but realized such speech might confuse a Western audience and render the book inaccessible.

With all the time and effort that goes into creating a novel, I'm surprised to learn that being a writer is not his main occupation. "No, I am still working full-time in the IT industry," he admits. "You need to pay the mortgage. Writing for me is still a hobby." If only all our part-time scribbles could turn into prize-winning novels!

Afterward, I approach Mo on the pretense of thanking him for the talk. Truthfully, I just want to reach out to another third culture kid - I tell him about my own experiences amongst worlds, and ask him whether he ever feels culturally schizophrenic. "Of course I did growing up, but as I got older I just learned to deal with it," he says. "However, it still crops up from time to time, even when I think I've gotten over it." Oh, how we know that feeling.

The Lit Fest is officially over, but you still have a chance to catch an author session. James Palmer's talk on "The Bloody White Baron" has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 27, 4 p.m. at Glamour Bar. See here for details.