<p>The multiethnic society of Malaysia provides a unique life-example for discourse on the complexity of cultural sustainability from the cultural diversity perspective as well as the intergenerational perspective. Historically, Chinese textbooks used in Malaysian schools were adapted from foreign literature produced in China or Taiwan. To comply with Malaysian educational policy aimed at promoting national unity using local content, Malaysian Chinese (Mahua) literature, which features the lives of local people, culture, and ethnic history, is incorporated into Chinese subjects. This study examines the efficacy and cultural sustainability of the effects of using “Language-Representation-Affect-Motive” (LRAM) literary pedagogy in teaching this Mahua literature. The findings affirm the efficacy of LRAM pedagogical framework for teaching Mahua literature, and how it can play a role in cultural sustainability. Issues of cultural relevance to the students and engagement with these youth emerged through themes developed from the qualitative data. These promising findings have practical implications for the teaching of Chinese in Malaysian schools, as well as illustrating how literature can ensure cultural sustainability through the sustainable pedagogy of LRAM.</p>