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Introduction
John O'Donohue maintains that "distance awakens longing; closeness is belonging" (xxii). For those living in diaspora, the "longing" brought about by being away is often assuaged by returning to the homeland, which in turn creates a sense of "belonging." "Love in a Fallen City" (1943; henceforth "LIFC"), a novella by Eileen Chang,1 however, indicates otherwise, that physical proximity (closeness) to the homeland does not necessarily lead to a sense of belonging. The novella centers on its male protagonist, Fan Liuyuan (henceforth Fan), whose ruminations over his own hybrid identity lead him to return to China in search of a more definite cultural identity.
Although "LIFC" is regarded as one of Chang's best works, Fan's behavior has often been singled out for criticism. For instance, the prominent literary critic Fu Lei declared soon after the publication of "LIFC" that Fan never had any intention of getting married and settling down, and that his love affairs were nothing more than activities to kill time (10). Scholars still echo this opinion today. He Yuqing regards Fan as an immoral dandy and sly womaniser who pursues sexual pleasure capriciously (55), while Leo Ou-fan Lee finds it strange that Chang voices through Fan the existential dilemma of being human, since it is incongruous with his identity as a good-for-nothing rich man (296).
Other critics focus instead on the complexity of Fan's identity. Some fleetingly categorize Fan as an "overseas Chinese" or "a second-generation immigrant" (Kong 296; Leung 94), while others offer a more detailed analysis. Lan Dizhi, for instance, regards Fan as a representative of Western culture, which is superior to the Eastern culture represented by Bai Liusu, and he holds that the depiction of Fan shows Chang's admiration for Western culture (8-10). Such an assertion, though giving consideration to the influence of Western (British) society on Fan, still tends to simplify the influence by overemphasizing its positive aspect. In a different yet similar vein, Qian Yaling only focuses on the negative influence of British society on Fan (42).
Nevertheless, these critics fail to take into account a number of issues: what Fan's predicaments are before and after his return to China; how Fan's desire for an absent authentic Chinese culture is...