INFO
| Name | Old Asian, New Asian |
| Year | 2017 |
| Writer(s) | Emma Ng |
| Publisher | Bridget Williams Books |
| Type of Text | Non-fiction |
| Artform | Literature |
ABOUT
Old Asian, New Asian (2017) is a book written by K. Emma Ng and published by Bridget Williams Books as part of their BWB Texts series. The book describes the history of anti-Asian sentiment and Sinophobia within Aotearoa, stemming as far back as the 1860s when Chinese immigrants first arrived in the country.
In 2015, Ng wrote an essay titled Old Asian, New Asian for the Pantograph Punch in response to the Labour government releasing real estate statistics that showed that 40% of homes in Auckland sold within a 3-month period were bought by people with “Chinese surnames”. The publication of this information in NZ Herald sparked an onslaught of anti-Asian rhetoric based on the assumption that these were all overseas buyers, which highlighted the misconception that people with ‘Chinese’ surnames must not be New Zealanders, despite Chinese communities existing in Aotearoa since the late 1800s. Ng states that “Sinophobia in New Zealand is not new, and neither is it benignly located in the past. Let’s talk about non-residents buying land in New Zealand. Let’s not present ethnicity statistics in the context of a debate about residency and allow the two to become conflated.”
The essay had tens of thousands of readers in the first few weeks, with Ng receiving a great amount of feedback from people stating how they identified with the text. After this immense response, the opportunity to write a longer text was presented to her, which allowed her to further investigate the long timeline of Chinese migration, Sinophobia, and social advocacy for Chinese communities in Aotearoa.
The book outlines the history of this country’s racism towards Chinese New Zealanders and the moments within this history that individuals felt brave enough to address ever-present danger and discrimination. Ng also traverses the timeline of seminal texts that have been written by Asian New Zealanders about experiences of this cultural hybridity and racism, like Tze Ming Mok, Manying Ip, Lynette Shum, Helene Wong, and Bickleen Fong.
Ng acknowledges the fluctuation of this discourse between generations: “I’ve come to think that perhaps this Text might add to the momentum. I hope, quietly, that we are heading to a moment where the discussion of these issues might become sustained, rather than the ebb and flow that has required us to return to square one, rehashing the same arguments each time.”
The title of the book and essay references tensions between different waves of Asian migrants in Aotearoa, and the book makes a case for empathy and understanding between different generations of Asian migrants.
Old Asian, New Asian is written in the first person, which Ng uses to acknowledge that it is written from her perspective as a second-generation Chinese New Zealander. Ng states, “No one expects that any single Pākehā New Zealander speaks for everybody, and it will be a relief for all Asian New Zealanders to one day enjoy the same courtesy. In the meantime, here I present my own views, tempered and emboldened at times with the voices of others. Perhaps at some point, we will no longer be asked to justify our presence or prove our worth.”
