Abstract
The spatial background is a key element in the development of the character's identity. It is very important to understand the symbolic significance of the spatial background in Eileen Chang's Chuan Qi, a collection of short stories and novellas. The space in Chang's Chuan Qi largely consists of Shanghai and Hong Kong. Smaller spaces include the characters' abodes, such as the mansion and apartment. Even smaller spaces are the interior of a room. The mansion is where she experienced abuse and neglect from her father during her adolescence. The apartment is a place of attachment, as was the place where she lived with her mother. This paper categorizes the mansion, her father's abode, as "a place of daydreams," "a place of death and graves," and the apartment, her mother's abode, as "a place of female independence," "a place of hope for a better life," This paper then examines these spaces to analyze how the symbolic meaning of space influences the identity of the characters.