The Ghost Bride

The Ghost Bride takes place in the Southeast Asian nation of Malaysia, which was at the time of the novel a British colony. Its location close to the islands of Indonesia and the continental Asian nations of China, Vietnam, Thailand, and others made it a useful colonial trading outpost, especially for any sea-based trading. Its prime location also meant that it was a highly coveted colonial asset for much of its history, changing hands between the Portuguese, the Dutch, and finally the British. During World War II, Malaysia was occupied by Imperial Japan and did not achieve its formal independence until 1957. During its history, its proximity to China also resulted in a great many Chinese immigrants moving to Malaysia, either to make their fortune as merchants or to work as indentured laborers, or “coolies,” for whatever colonial power was currently in charge. The British also relied on and shipped in coolies from their other Asian colony, India. In this way, Malaysia and its primary cities, like Malacca, demonstrate a wide variety of cultural influences in their societal make-up and structures.

Malasia’s multicultural background is evident in the novel when Li Lan notes that the city contains many different architectural traditions, from the Dutch-built Stadthuys building to the traditional Chinese style of the Lim mansion. It is also evident in its social systems and hierarchies. Li Lan and her family, for example, live in the merchants’ quarter, which is primarily inhabited by Chinese families. There is very little intermingling of ethnicities within streets or neighborhoods and, in fact, Li Lan does not have close interactions with individuals who are not either Chinese, like herself, or Malay. Each ethnic group also speaks its own language and adheres to its own cultural and religious customs. Li Lan observes that Christian, Islamic, and traditional Malay cemeteries all coexist within the same small area of the city, each notably distinct, despite their closeness. Thus, while these various ethnic and cultural backgrounds consistently overlap or brush up against one another, they do not become completely blended or mixed.

Although Malaysia would remain a British colony for several more decades, the novel’s setting at the end of the 19th century indicates that colonial power, and the ideas of empire writ large, were starting to change. Technological advancements in the areas of trade and travel lessened the importance of distant colonial outposts, like Malacca, as people and goods were able to travel greater distances in less time. Therefore, although the British still exercised governmental control of Malaysia in The Ghost Bride, Li Lan remarks that it is not the hustling and bustling colonial center that it once was, leading to the decline of many prominent trading families as well. In this way, The Ghost Bride depicts both the rich history and the complicated “present” of colonial Malaysia, while hinting at the turmoil and change to come.