Growing out of a highly acclaimed issue of "Daedalus" (Spring 1991), this volume explores the emergence of a cultural space that both encompasses and transcends the ethnic, territorial, linguistic, and religious boundaries that normally define Chineseness. By challenging the hegemonic discourse of the political core in Beijing, this newly constructed cultural space opens up exciting possibilities for concerned intellectuals worldwide as well as peripheral Chinese communities around the globe to provide inside perspectives on the meaning of being Chinese. Eleven leading scholars of Chinese society have imaginatively articulated the ambiguities and implications of this cultural space as a historically significant phenomenon.