Dispatches From China: Un Chicano in the Land of Chino

By Hector Flores (ChicanoChino), NewsTaco

Several years back I read a book about a chicano who went to China in 1984 to see whether a connection could be made between the culture of American Southwest andAsia’s largest country. This intrepid traveler was Rodolfo Anaya, some people may remember him from his renowned work, Bless me Ultima, but I remember him from his travel memoir, A Chicano in China. Mr. Anaya was the not first Chicano in China as WW2 brought many of us to Asia, but Mr. Anaya is the only (as far as google can tell me) author of Chicano decent to have written a book about his experiences in the land of Chino.

The book reads quick and light and reminds me of a Rick Steves episode without the historical facts and product tie ins. Mr. Anaya travels extensively throughout his trip and is essentially at the door way to China as Deng Xiao Peng opens their country to the world. A Chicano inChinawas written in 1984 and published 2 years later. Nearly 20 years have gone by and China is a vastly different place than what Mr. Anaya experienced and wrote about in his book.

I have lived in China off and on over the past 10 years and most recently returned to work for another year in Guangzhou. It is the intention of my blog, column and ramblings to add another dimension to the idea that Mr. Anaya pioneered and to answer the question: what happens when Chinese and Chicano cultures meet?

Hector Flores is a writer, producer and entrepreneur finding his way through the modern maze that is China. After reading Rudolfo Anaya’s travel memoir “A Chicano in China”, he was inspired to blog, tweet and post on his own adventures as a curious chicano in China. Mr. Flores blogs and posts at www.chicanochino.com, tweets @chicanochino and can be reached at chicanochino@live.com.