THE MALAYSIAN SOCIAL LANDSCAPE REFLECTED IN LIU SU DI: THE WORLD OF MORTALS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AREA STUDIES

Liu Su Di: the World of Mortals, written by Malaysian Chinese writer Li Zishu, was published in 2020. It immediately attracted great attention from Chinese-language literary world. The story vividly depicted the ordinary people and mundane affairs in Ipoh in Malaysia, narrated by the blind woman Gu Xunxia. From the perspective of area studies, this paper analyzes the political system, economic transformation, historical trauma and multicultural interaction, and decodes the unique features of Malaysian society. It is a complex assemblage of interlocking relations among different races and classes, shaped by historical trauma and economic transformation within the framework of race-based political system. Keywords: Malaysian society, Liu Su Di: the World of Mortals, area studies