I have been chatting with folks privately about this but I think it also needs to be said publicly and explicitly that diaspora writers should be able to tell their stories without any of the identity policing and authenticity test nonsense.

No one gets to define what is Chinese-ness and Chinese folks disagree all the time. Diaspora should get a chance to write things based on their experiences and do their own reclaiming. Their experiences are just as valid.

In fact, diaspora and Chinese communities outside of Mainland China can say so much more and really push boundaries because we exist in liminal spaces of in-betweenness and write from the edge as opposed to the so-called center.

I think the whole reason we are in this boat is that there are still so few of us getting represented and we have seen the harm of appropriation. But this makes it even more important for diaspora folks to tell their stories. No one should be everything for everybody.

I want to see folks feeling safe to explore and experiment and subvert without having to defend against those people who go around judging "authenticity." Those Mainland Chinese folks have a lot of issues with not just diaspora stories, but just diaspora.

I want to see a lot of stories being written and ten different retellings and many different twists. It is good to have different perspectives. Playing with stories and genre and experiences are very different from white folks doing no work and writing from an othering gaze.

Please keep keep writing. I am sure me and so many others want to read your stories.