Chao explores Sinophone literature as a complex field that navigates the intersections of Sinitic languages, global literary systems, and China-centered perspectives. He presents an alternative perspective that Sinophone literature, especially through ghost narratives, offers a platform for communities to critically examine modernity, transgress boundaries, and challenge epistemologies.

By emphasizing locality, the book critiques the homogenization of knowledge production and highlights the importance of local experiences in shaping Sinophone identity. Questioning the linear, essentialist interpretations of Chineseness, a more fluid understanding influenced by cultural memory, globalization, and transnational dynamics emerges. The book advocates for an expanded scope of Sinophone theory that includes the Chinese mainland, moving beyond an against-diaspora stance. Building upon postcolonialism and historical contexts, it examines literary texts and ghost narratives originating from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Chinese mainland, delving into the diversity of Sinophone literature.

An excellent read for students, researchers and scholars interested in Chinese literature, cultural studies and critical literary work with a focus on Asian studies.