Author Chan Koonchung on the 'fat man' that is China

"China today is like a big fat man," says Chan Koonchung, author of 2009's celebrated futuristic novel The Fat Years. "It has got so big that when it turns around, it inadvertently crushes a few bones of those nearby."

To stay well, the former Hong Kong publisher advises that one should do some dodging to accommodate the clumsy giant who has yet to learn how to co-ordinate his arms and legs.

Born in Shanghai, raised in Hong Kong, educated in Boston, Taipei-based in the 1990s and living in Beijing since 2000, Chan's background means he is in a position to reflect on matters Chinese that few can match.

His sensitivity to cross-cultural issues is enhanced by his dual role as a public intellectual and an active participant in journalism and film scriptwriting.

Speaking in Hong Kong, which he still calls home, Chan offers a fresh perspective on the city's identity and how it interacts with the growing affluence of the mainland.

The starting point, he says, is to get to know what China has become of late. China, aside from being a big fat man, is obsessed with being No1 and receiving international recognition. "It's like a host presenting a 10-course dinner, and expecting everyone to praise every course, from appetiser to dessert," he adds.