EC: We have something deep in common: Ipoh. You were a year old when you moved from Surabaya to Ipoh, and in your book, you call Ipoh your hometown, which is also where I was born and grew up until I left for college in the U.S. Can you tell us how you see Ipoh as your hometown even though, as you describe, your parents had prepared you always to return to China and that Ipoh was not your home?
 
WGW:  Everything I can remember about my childhood and youth, the years 1931-1947, was about Ipoh. I grew up in Green Town, New Town, Old Town and the edge of New Town and just about explored every corner of the town and even many of the neighbouring townships. True, I never thought of it as my hometown when I was growing up, but my nine months there in 1949 after returning from China gave me the chance to see the town in a different light and led me to see it as my hometown, certainly the only place that I felt could be my hometown – and I still feel that way.