Road to East Asia

During the reign of Emperor Qinlong (1735-96), there was a rule that allowed the government to take land from its rightful owner for military uses. Should the farmer disobey the edict, he would be immediately executed. In Xi Xi's Deer Hunt, one such victim is Wong Ah Weg, whose dream in life is to own a cow so that he can provide for his family. After his eviction, Wong has to work in a remote place and can only visit his wife (Che Fa) and their son (Lai Ong) occasionally. The novel is a historical fantasy, which portrays the power and, ironically, the vulnerability of the emperor.

The country's ruler is like a hunter with powerful weapons, and he has an army to execute his plans. Yet he is in turn being watched and preyed on as everyone wants the royal privileges. Qinlong is in greater danger than the civilians because they are vying for his throne. Always protected by his guards, the emperor cannot live a normal life as he wishes. Whenever he cannot handle the pressure, he dreams about his imaginary city, goes hunting, and thinks of the past in order to escape reality.

In his mind, this imaginary city is a perfect place, with servants pretending to live there and free from all kinds of human traps. He also loves hunting because it gives him the feeling of being in charge and being free. He is at once the hunter in the forest and the deer being preyed on by ambitious individuals in the palace. In Cantonese, there is a saying, "jok lok hung yeun," which literally means "chase the deer of the kingdom." Another saying is "lok say shai sau," which means a contest for the life of the deer.

Gentle and graceful, a deer is often the target for many hunters and its every move is being watched by them. Just as Wong Ah Weg and his wife struggle to make a livelihood but lose their dream of financial independence at the end, the deer loses its life to the hunters. The emperor, who dashes the humble dream of a commoner, also fails to liberate himself from the entrapment of reality.

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Editors and Writers: Jessica Martin, Daniel Sun, Brenda Lo, Kevin Hodgson,
Julie Shim, Shelly-Ann Gunness, Candice Wong, Derrick Choy
Hilaneh Mahmoudi, Megan Donnelly, Benjamin Bacola, Neena Gill
Instructor and founding editor: Isabella Wai

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Copyright © 1997 by the author. References to this text should be attributed to the author.

Illustration by Billy Lo

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