Many Chinese-Canadians crossed the Pacific Ocean because of their apprehensions about the British handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland in 1997. The 10th anniversary of that event may intensify longings for the place left behind. With Canadian passports in hand, thousands already have returned to live in Hong Kong.

By Jay Scott Kanes

Yearnings for home and sometimes doubts about where home really is provide a foundation for Hui Gui, A Chinese Story, the first novel by Toronto author Elsie Sze.

“How much immigrants feel torn between their home country and their adopted one depends on the individuals, their circumstances, backgrounds, families, attitudes and adaptability,” said Sze, who grew up in Hong Kong.

Her novel stands tall among the finalists for the 2006 Book of the Year Award sponsored by the U.S.-based ForeWord Magazine. The winner will be announced in June at the Books Expo America in New York.

“Some Hong Kong immigrants in Canada shuttle between the two places for various reasons, and some have not been back to Hong Kong at all,” Sze said. “Probably those who miss their home country the most are the ones not totally happy or comfortable in their new situations, maybe for reasons of family, jobs or better lives in the past. They’re the ones who’d go back if they could.”

The Chinese term Hui Gui (returning home) has come to represent the British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. That event plays a central role in Sze’s epic novel spanning much of the 20th century.

Although Hui Gui, A Chinese Story isn’t autobiographical, Sze’s parents endured harrowing experiences as university students during the Japanese invasion of China more than a half-century ago. So do her fictional characters.

Sze lifts her readers through time and across distances with the story of Tak Sing, who grew up in war-torn China in the 1930s and ‘40s before arriving as a refugee in Hong Kong after the Communist victory in 1949.

Progressing from 1934 when a feudal society still prevailed in China to 1997 when Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty, the novel follows its protagonist, the son of a landlord from the southeastern Guangdong Province, through three generations. Tak Sing’s story probes universal themes that cross cultural and ethnic bounds.

When living in Hong Kong, Sze attended Sacred Heart Canossian College, where she formed lasting friendships. While at the University of Hong Kong, she edited a student literary publication.

“I had a happy childhood in Hong Kong,” Sze said. “Some of my fondest memories are of school-days and of my amah, Ah Lin, who worked with our family until I left Hong Kong in 1968. Not only was Ah Lin very dear to me, but we stayed in touch all through the years until her death in 2004. She became the model for Ah Lan in the novel Hui Gui.”

Sze pursued graduate studies, earning degrees in English literature from the University of Toronto and in library science from the University of Chicago.

“My association with more than one place has become an enriching experience in all respects,” Sze said. “The only troubling part is that there’s no one place that I can call home without qualifications. I guess that’s the price an immigrant pays.

“Personally, I don’t long for Hong Kong in the sense that I want to live there for the rest of my life. I’m happy with my present home in Toronto, but there’s always a warm feeling of belonging and affiliation each time I go back to visit.”

For nearly a decade, Sze worked as an English teacher and librarian at high schools in Canada and the United States. For another decade, she served in public libraries. While employed at the Toronto Public Library, she took up creative writing at the Humber School for Writers.

The aspiring author did intense research on the political and social histories of China and Hong Kong. She read profusely, conducted interviews and made several trips back to Hong Kong. In part, the book pays tribute to the city of her childhood.

“I’d recognize Hong Kong anytime,” she said. “It’s not so much the buildings or the harbour that make a city. It’s the people, the crowds, the traditions, the lifestyles and especially the spirit. Those all remain. To me, these are the endearing parts of Hong Kong.”

Sze travels extensively, often to exotic places that may provide the settings for stories. She’s working on a second novel.

“My next novel is set in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan with a small part in Tibet,” said Sze. “I’ve traveled to both places. Bhutan fascinated me on my first visit there with my husband in 2000, and I decided to make it the setting. The book will be a love story with a dash of mystery.”

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Elsie Sze relaxes briefly after a winning first novel.