Chia Tang Character Analysis

Kien’s father and Alice’s grandfather. Chia Tang, along with his wife, Outside Ma, represent the old country. He wears a Mao suit made by Outside Ma, and he keeps his money buried in the backyard because he doesn’t trust the banks. Chia Tang turns his entire Australian yard into a Chinese vegetable garden, and he gets up early every morning to water it. Alice’s grandfather serves as a foil to her own family; while the Pungs try to assimilate, Chia Tang still lives very much like he did in Cambodia.