From Maritime Epic to Digital Narrative: Formative Trajectories and Identity Reconstruction in the Literature of the Kinh Ethnic Group (Vietnamese-Origin Chinese) in China

Abstract

This article investigates the development of Kinh ethnic literature (authored by Vietnamese-origin Chinese) in China since 1984, through three interrelated dimensions: socio-cultural context, developmental trends and characteristics, and identity reconstruction. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, the study reveals how Kinh literature has evolved from oral traditions to written texts and digital narratives, transitioning from folkloric expression to critical and postmodern modes. It addresses five core issues: the transformation of literary forms and expressive modes; the linguistic crisis and phenomenon of code-switching; multilayered identity in transnational contexts; literature’s role as a cultural bridge between Vietnam and China; and the rise of new trends such as maritime literature, digital writing, and ecological ethics. Through analysis of representative authors and works (e.g., Li Yingmin, Su Weiguang, Li Hai, Su Xiaoxia), the article demonstrates that Kinh literature functions not only as a repository of collective memory but also as a site for negotiating identity amid the forces of globalization, digitization, and ethnic policy. The study contributes to the growing field of transborder minority literature, and proposes the concept of a distinctive literary discourse – a “saltwater grammar” – where Vietnamese, Chinese, maritime, and digital elements converge, generating a hybrid and dynamic structure of cultural identity.