China Rich Girlfriend

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Literary Context: Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy

Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy begins with the international bestseller Crazy Rich Asians published in 2013, followed by China Rich Girlfriend in 2015, and concluding with Rich People Problems in 2017. The books were widely enjoyed for their gossipy, soapy, satirical look at the lives of the super-rich of Southeast Asia, exposing eccentric habits and skewering social pretensions while introducing non-Asian audiences to the modern profile and recent history of Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. The books peek into the economic, cultural, and social scene of the jet-setting crowd, but also portray the rivalries, attitudes, and prejudices of its different social sets, reflecting the multi-culturalism, accelerating development, and history of colonial rule in these areas.

The SuperSummary guide to Crazy Rich Asians provides a complete summary and analysis of that book, so this background will highlight only those elements that come to bear on China Rich Girlfriend. In the prologue of Crazy Rich Asians, Felicity Leong buys the British hotel where the white British manager refuses to accept her and Eleanor and their children. This one-upmanship demonstrates the family’s economic power, introduces the class tensions that play a part throughout the trilogy, and touch on the prevailing themes of Western discrimination against and poor understanding of Asian peoples, which by turns provide conflict and humor.

Astrid’s marital difficulties begin in Crazy Rich Asians when her husband Michael pretends to have an affair in an attempt to make Astrid break up with him. Astrid married him for love, defying her family, but Michael is fed up with the condescension her family shows him. When Astrid confides in Charlie, Charlie buys Michael’s startup company for an enormous price so Michael will have wealth of his own, which he hopes will help repair Astrid’s marriage.

Oliver T’sien, from another branch of the Shang/Young family, advises Kitty Pong to dump Alistair Cheng for Bernard Tai, hinting that Bernard, the son of Eleanor Young’s friend Carol Tai, has much more money than Alistair. Kitty, who is impressed not by family name or lineage but by displays of wealth, takes the hint.

Colin and Araminta Khoo, whose marriage is the centerpiece of Crazy Rich Asians, appear in China Rich Girlfriend as a parallel to Nick and Rachel’s relationship. While they enjoy a jet-setting lifestyle and immense wealth, Colin and Araminta are down-to-earth people, in love, and capable of caring relationships. In the first novel, as Nick’s best friend, Colin provided support when his family opposed Rachel, while Piek Lin, Rachel’s college roommate, gave her advice and a place to stay when Rachel left Nick.

Tyersall Park, the extensive and hidden mansion ruled over by Nick’s supremely sophisticated, mysterious, and powerful grandmother or Ah Mah, Shang Su Yi, is introduced in Crazy Rich Asians as Nick’s likely inheritance. Shang Su Yi’s marriage to a British surgeon, James Young, and the influential connections of her brother, Alfred Shang, are hinted at in China Rich Girlfriend but go on to play a greater role in events of Rich People Problems, where it turns out that both families were important in the effort to preserve Singapore through the Japanese occupation during World War II (WWII).

In Crazy Rich Asians, Edison Cheng, Nick’s cousin, serves as an example of the image-conscious social climber while Bernard Tai behaves as the thoughtless, extravagant playboy, both foils to Colin and Nick’s more low-key personalities. Strains between generations are introduced in the way Eleanor and her friends are content to rule the social roost in Singapore while their children prove to be more ambitious and worldly, often living abroad.

A key event in Crazy Rich Asians relevant to this novel is Eleanor’s investigation into Rachel’s background, which turns up the news that Rachel’s father is not dead as her mother, Kerry, claimed but is in a Chinese prison for serious crimes. Su Yi and Eleanor both proclaim that Nick cannot marry a girl with such a scandalous history, which will bring shame on their respected family. Nick realizes his mother has schemed her whole life to make him the favorite grandson in hopes that he will inherit Tyersall Park. Nick flies Kerry to Singapore, where Kerry reveals that Rachel’s real father is not the criminal mob boss Kerry married but her sweet young neighbor, Kao Wei, with whom Kerry sought affection as she tried to escape her abusive husband. At the end of Crazy Rich Asians, Nick chooses to cut off ties with his family to be with Rachel, who is curious whether her birth father is still alive.

Three years elapse between the conclusion of Crazy Rich Asians, which takes place in 2010, and the beginning of China Rich Girlfriend, which takes place in 2013. Michael Teo is now rich and his and Astrid’s son, Cassian, is five. Kitty married Bernard Tai and they have a daughter, Gisele. Nick and Rachel continue to live in New York City, where they are both professors at New York University.

The SuperSummary guide to the third novel, Rich People Problems, explores the themes that pervade the series while continuing the arc of the central characters. That novel follows events surrounding the Young family and their contacts as Su Yi dies, the contents of her will are exposed, and competition begins over who will take possession of Tyersall Park.

Socio-Historical Context: Western Colonialism in Asia

Singapore, a collection of islands on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, has long been an important port for international commerce. Due to historic patterns of immigration, most of the population are of Chinese, Malay, or Indian descent. The modern city-state is highly developed and heavily urbanized, with little remaining of the original vegetation or early villages. Singapore has the most advanced economy in Southeast Asia as well as one of the highest standards of living. The average level of education is high, and the government pays close attention to infrastructure, public health and welfare, and economic regulation.

British colonization of Singapore began in 1819 when Sir Stamford Raffles purchased land for the East India Company. The Company’s interest in the area waned after the East India Company lost its monopoly on trade with China in 1833 and the British focused on building a rival port in Hong Kong. In 1867, Singapore and its collected territories were made a crown colony under British rule. The British ceded authority in 1942 when the Japanese invaded during WWII, an occupation that lasted until 1945. From 1946, Singapore was an independent crown colony and gradually achieved self-government. After a brief participation in the Federation of Malaysia, Singapore focused on economic growth and in the 1980s emerged as one of the leaders of the region.

Traces of colonial rule remain, among other things, in the language; English is recognized as an official language along with Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Kwan’s novels also include words in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect used across Southeast Asia, and a dialect called Singlish, a creole blend of English and various languages including Peranakan, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.

The administrative region of Hong Kong includes the island, which was ceded from China to the British in 1842, and various surrounding parts of mainland China which also fell under British control. The British formally leased these territories for a 99-year contract running from 1898 to 1997, after which control of Hong Kong returned to China. Long an important port, Hong Kong at the end of the 20th century grew into a financial and manufacturing powerhouse. Also densely populated and highly urbanized, the island’s population is mostly ethnic Chinese. The official languages are English and Cantonese.

The novel refers to the French Concession in China, a part of Shanghai that was ceded to French control from 1849 to 1943. The Concession began as part of France’s efforts to participate in lucrative trade with China and other Southeast Asian countries, a trade that included opium, a drug in high demand in the West. In the early 20th century, the French Concession was a desirable residential area for the well-to-do and a center of thriving commerce. Nick observes these European-style buildings still existing side-by-side in Shanghai with the modern skyscrapers denoting the area’s robust economic expansion.

This history of European intrusion into Southeast Asia accounts for lingering elements like the prevalence of the English language, European names and architecture, Christianity, organizations like the private dining and golf clubs, and respect for the West as an intellectual and cultural resource. Wealthy residents often educate their children at elite institutions abroad, which accounts for how Nick Young and Carlton Bao attended the same British boarding school. Cities like New York City, Paris, and London are seen as premier cultural or fashion centers, and the very rich compete to obtain brands from European designers like Chanel, Prada, Hermès, and Giambattista Valli.

Social Context: The Super Rich

According to Forbes, while there are no formal definitions, in the financial sector the following terms are used to describe those with wealth. High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) hold liquid assets between $1 billion and $5 million, very high-net-worth individuals (VHNWIs) hold assets between $5 million and $30 million, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) possess $30 million or more. Forbes reports that as of 2021, the US harbored the highest percentage of UHNWIs, followed by China (including Hong Kong and Macau), then India.

China’s number of billionaires is growing at the fastest rate internationally, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, India, and South Korea among Asian countries. In the West, numbers of UHNWIs, as of 2021, were increasing in Australia, France, Switzerland, and Germany. Charity Oxfam notes that since the global economic recession of 2008, wealth inequality has been increasing, yet the number of multi-millionaires and billionaires continues to grow. As of 2016, a mere 1% of the world’s population controlled 50% of the world’s wealth.

Wealth Report states that during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the wealthy invested in Hermès handbags, expensive wines, and fast cars. They spent their money on travel and hospitality, arts, jewelry and watches, private jets, and superyachts. Kwan captures these spending habits in China Rich Girlfriend, noting how these items are purchases not only for comfort and luxury but also as status symbols denoting one’s wealth to the rest of the world.