 His third novel , Nanyang , is a historical saga about the multi @-@ racial people who inhabit the lands of the ' Southern Ocean ' , as early Chinese migrants called Malaya and Singapore . It was seen through the lives of four generations as they <unk> and struggled for wealth and power , for their beliefs and freedom , and felt their hopes and dreams for their future and those of their <unk> , as Nanyang eventually became two separate fledging nations . It hit the book stores in October 2007 . 
