ABSTRACT
George Leonard: Is there a difference between Asian art, and Asian American art? How, after all, can a physical object be said to be "Asian;' or "Asian American?"
Hung Liu: I have thought about similar questions before. Since I am living in the United States, I can say that my life is now here, in the present tense. But China is just across the gulf, as if you could feel it. Like next door. That distance, which I have crossed, has fundamentally changed my perceptions. Like an ancient Chinese landscape painting, my life is filled with multiple perspectives. I no longer consider myself a "pure" Chinese. What that means is that I am a Chinese in the process of becoming an American, like most Americans. But for some of us, we were already adults when we came here. I had 36 years of my life in China. I was already educated and experienced enough. My language was good. But in coming here, I had to start all over again, to adapt to this culture as an adult. If I had been a child when I came here, it would have been easier. Life now runs in parallels, one real and present and one underneath the surface of everyday life. When I go back to China now, I realize how much I've become American without knowing it.
