Abstract: Deeply influenced by Chinese culture and Chinese literature, Malaysian Chinese literature contains a large number of “Chinese narratives.” Published in 1995, The Great Series of Southeast Asian Chinese Literature: Malaysia Volume, a collection of classic works of ten writers, presents the creative style of Malaysian Chinese literature in the middle and late 20th century. Taking this collection as the research object, this paper extracts the Chinese narrative elements through close reading of the texts and explores the mother tongue complex of Malaysian Chinese writers, the tension between localization and hometown narrative, as well as the literary expression of Chinese imagery. The research finds that these narrative fragments not only reflect the cultural identity dilemma of the diaspora group, but also demonstrate the creative transformation of Chinese culture in a foreign context. This study, therefore, can provide a new perspective for understanding the spiritual world and literary interaction of the Malaysian Chinese.

Key words: Malaysian Chinese literature, Chinese narrative, The Great Series of Southeast Asian Chinese Literature: Malaysia Volume, cultural identity