Kevin Kwan’s ‘China Rich Girlfriend’ reflects region’s rising wealth

TORONTO – With his bestselling debut novel, “Crazy Rich Asians,” author Kevin Kwan wanted to tell an Asian version of “Downton Abbey.”

So, how would he characterize “China Rich Girlfriend,” the newly published second book in the soapy saga of Asia’s upper-class?

“It’s the Asian version of ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ I don’t know,” he said with a laugh in a recent interview.

“It’s so much more over the top. We’ve left the rarefied world of this very traditional, colonial Chinese culture and we’re in crazytown. We are in this no-holds-barred territory.”

This time, the story has shifted from the intensely private world of “old money” in Singapore, where “Crazy Rich Asians” was centred, to the blatant extravagance of new money in China and Hong Kong.

Featured are the main characters from the last book, including professors Nicholas Young and Rachel Chu, who are now engaged. His mother, Eleanor, still disapproves of Rachel’s seemingly less-than-affluent background and hires a private investigator to look into her family history.

Meanwhile, Eleanor and private banker Eddie Cheng help Bao Shaoyen and her spoiled son Carlton after he crashes his Ferrari on a drunken bender.

Other characters include porn star-turned-social climber Kitty Pong and Astrid, Nick’s cousin who is still having marital problems.

Kwan, who comes from wealthy lineage in Singapore, stressed that the books are satirical.

But they are rooted in reality, with the new one reflecting the wealth that “just continues to grow unabated” in China and Hong Kong, where Kwan travelled while writing the new novel.

“The wealthy in China are getting wealthier and there’s much more of a wealth gap that’s happening in China that’s going to be very interesting to see what happens down the line for them,” he said.

Kwan said that’s resulted in lifestyle changes, where families are travelling together more and spending money on experiences rather than on “just pure bling” and designer labels.

He also noticed the ancient traditions he grew up with don’t exist in modern-day China.

“They were really wiped out of the cultural memory by Mao and by the Cultural Revolution,” said Kwan.

“So the rituals, the mores, the customs that are practised by all these overseas Chinese families, they know nothing about this, the new generation of Chinese.

“In a way, for them, I suppose it’s very liberating to not have to pay homage to the past so much in that way,” he continued.

“And it’s allowed them to really recreate their lives, now that the shackles have been opened up a little more and really do things in a whole new way, whereas I think other Asian countries are more beholden to how things are done and having these clan associations.”

Kwan said he would like to write a third book in the saga but that will depend on the success of the second.

Meantime, he’s acting as a consultant for a film adaptation of “Crazy Rich Asians.” Kwan said Pete Chiarelli’s script for the film is nearly done and it will “hopefully (be) going into production very soon.”

And for readers who are “crazy rich” themselves, Kwan has curated an online collection of objects and travel experiences the main characters in his novels would covet. It’s at http://www.crazyrichcollection.com/ with items including a watch for $1.3 million.

Surprisingly, Kwan said he’s not much of a shopper himself.

“I wear black most of the time,” he laughed. “It’s very simple to outfit me. I have a few good things I can wear to look presentable on TV, but beyond that I’m usually in shorts and sandals.

“But being in this world tangentially, I’ve been on many, many a shopping spree where I see what they’re buying and see what they’re doing.”

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