Lin likens a person's identity to a series of concentric circles. The central circle represents the feelings an individual has for the place he or she was born and grew up. The next circle relates to cultural belonging and only then does the individual become more international.
林谷芳將人的認同比擬做同心圓的擴充，圓心是對自己所生所長的地方的感情，其次擴充到文化的從屬，最後才走向國際。