From "A Chicano in China" to Chicano-inspired subcultures in Japan: when Aztlán intersects with Asia

Abstract

In the travel writing “A Chicano in China” (1986), Rudolfo Anaya offers the reader his perception of a society and culture, that of China, which should be alien to him. However, the New Mexican author does not live his Chinese journey as a mere observer, but, on the contrary, he turns his trip into a pilgrimage, a quest for a reality that transcends mere observation. Through his works, and the symbols that are present in them, Anaya tries to understand the reasons behind the epiphanic moments that he feels when walking the streets of Chinese towns and cities. A revealing recognition that influences him on three levels, as a writer, when he sees his artistic motives reflected in the Chinese culture, as a Chicano, when he verifies how the inhabitants of Southwest U.S. and China share incessant experiential similarities, and as a Nuevomexicano, when he identifies parts of the Chinese landscape with his native New Mexico. Starting from the experiences described by Anaya in “A Chicano in China”, this article will study the cultural connections between Asia and Chicanos through Anaya’s eyes, but also through much more unknown and current influences ranging from lowrider subculture to Chicano inspired music in Japan. The ultimate goal will be to demonstrate that West and East have a common point in the Chicano people. Keywords: Anaya, Chicanos, China, Japan, lowriders, music.