In Jan Wong’s entrancing expose Red China Blues, she details her plight to take part in a system of “harmony and perfection” (12) that was Maoist China. Wong discloses her trials and tribulations over a course of three decades that sees her searching for her roots and her transformation of ideologies that span over two distinctive forms of Communist governments. This tale is so enticing in due part to the events the author encountered that radically changed her very existence and more importantly, her personal quest for self-discovery.…
After Liu’s extensive introduction he begins to inform the reader of his childhood and his parents. His parents did not strictly follow Chinese culture. Instead they clung to the relaxed American culture and in turn, did not force Chinese culture on Liu. Liu suggests that this is how he was able to assimilate so easily. While in fourth grade he made no distinctions between races. It made no difference if one friend was black and the…
This memoir of Ma Bo’s sent shock waves throughout China when it was published and was even first banned by the Communist Government. This passionate story paints a clear picture for what the Great Chinese Cultural Revolution was really like. Many Chinese living today can attest to similar if not identical ordeals as expressed in Ma Bo’s story. The toils of being a young Red Guard in inner China were experienced by many if not millions. The horrors and atrocities were wide spread throughout the country, not just in Inner Mongolia. The experiences illustrated in Blood Red Sunset uniquely belong to Ma Bo’s entire generation of mislead Chinese. As expressed in the books dedication the Cultural Revolution produced victims, people who suffered from unspeakable wrongs, not limited by any criteria but all segments of society. All parts of China were turned completely upside down. Along with the turmoil came more than just suffering, but pure tragedy. Even the strongest unit throughout all of China’s millennia’s of history, the tight knit family unit, was broken. Particularly profound is the exhibited brutality, victimizing, and sheer loss of humanity that the common people of China subjected each other to during this tumultuous period. This sad theme was seen over and over again throughout the memoir. The devastation Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution inflicted on China has the country still in recovery today. The oldest still standing civilization in history became lawless and un-secure for an entire decade. This resulted in millions of atrocities and injustices taking place throughout the country. Injustice ran rampant everywhere and humanity itself struggled to survive. It awakened the most malicious side of mankind ever seen on such a large scale. To truly appreciate the Communist China 1966-1976 national aberration known as the Great Cultural revolution it is necessary to read an account of a person who actually lived in…
The point of this essay, “The Chinese in All of us” by Richard Rodriguez, was to show that America is one giant melting pot. That there is no such thing as an “American” culture. An American culture cannot exist as one central thing because there are so many cultures that mixed together to form what we have now. It’s a never ending cycle of growth as a country. The immigrants come to America and with them, they bring their ideas and customs. While they learn the customs we already have we, in turn, adopt some of theirs that we observe along the way.…
The book Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen is about the his experience in China during and after the Cultural Revolution. Chen walks us through what it was like to be a child during the Cultural Revolution and how it felt to be under the rule of Chairman Mao. His accounts are each shocking and strike a chord with the audience. Not only does he talk about Mao’s reign, but he discusses life after his death, and his own pursuit of education. Three of the Cultural Universals I found in this book were Themes, Recreation, and Political Organization.…
, 1999. [ 2] Paul Yee, Saltwater City. A n Illustrated H istory of the Chinese in Vancouver [M ] . Vancouver : Douglas and M cIntyre, 1988. [ 3] , . : [ M] . : , 1993. [ 4] Pierre Berton, T he Last Spike[ M] .Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1971. [ 5] Wayson Choy. T he Jade Qeony [ M] . Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 1995. [ 6] Edgar Wickberg. From China to Canada: A History o the Chinese Communities in Canada[ M] . Toronto: M cClelland and Stewart, 1982. f [ 7] Peter S. Li. The Chinese in Canada[M ] . Toronto : Oxford University Press, 1988. [ 8] Wayson Choy. Paper Shadows : A Chinatown Childhood [M ] . Toronto: Penguin, 1999. [ 9] Karen Romell. [ 11] . Op en Sky [ J] . Step Magazine1990( July / August) . : : [ J] . , 2004, ( 3) : 116- 123. [ 10] Edward W. Said. Cultur e and Imp erialism [ M ] . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. [ 12] Marty Chan. Wayson Choy[ EB/ OL] . http: / / www. 136. 159. 250. 102 / gauntlet / eg / features / stories / wordfest / choy . html. [ ] : [ A] . . [ C] .…
Even though there were hardships, JEU DIP, and his future family created their new life as Chinese Americans. Overall this book shows where the Chinese people fit in, in America, and what became of their lives. However, some families,…
This essay dissects the notion of theft, encompassing both plagiarism and cultural appropriation, as expressed in Rebecca F. Kuang's novel "Yellow Face." The essay approaches these issues from the Legal, Moral, and Historical perspectives, addressing concerns from each area. The author considers these contentious issues in today's political climate. They acknowledge the genuine and legitimate concerns these issues are based on while also addressing the politicization of the issues for other political ends. Using the same theme of Chinese cultural appropriation, the author demonstrates how China has mastered the art throughout its long history while remaining distinctly Chinese—the essay questions whether the current political concern with cultural…
Congue nihil imperdiet doming id quod mazim placerat facer minim veni am ut wisi enim ad minimeniam, quis erat nostr uexe…
Amy Tan allows us to deepen our understanding of her world by finding every day items and ideas that Americans can relate to such as a mother’s desire to do the best for their children, or using meals to represent a nurturing love, or a vase to represent a rocky foundation, or the pain that comes from hiding your true self. The use of figurative language in this novel removes the barriers from both the Chinese and the American cultures and customs therefore allowing us to examine each other not through the eyes of a specific race but through the eyes of one race, the human race.…
“The Squint and the Wail” is an essay by Michael Hsu. Hsu, a Taiwanese American author and editor, wrote this essay in order to express his views on the negative connotations that occur with some of the racially charged objects present in society. More specifically, the essay deals with the stereotypical nature of The Chin Family. The Chin Family is the name of Stefano Giovannoni’s tabletop collection, which includes salt and pepper shakers that have the caricaturized facial expressions of Chinese people (Giovanni, 404). In this essay, Hsu talks about the appalling nature of the stereotypical features and how those features pose a derogatory inference to Chinese culture, but then reciprocates his views on the tabletop collection to a more neutral stance. Hsu’s main claim is that it is derogatory to exaggerate on the racial-specific physical features of a race and to present that exaggeration to the public under the guise of an everyday tool. Hsu’s piece shows race from a particular perspective and then compares that perspective to the perspectives of the individuals he associates himself with. Hsu’s persuasive approach can be broken down and interpreted by viewing his stance through ethos, pathos, logos, and mythos.…
This research paper encompasses parts of Chinatown 's culture, history, demographics and landscape. We will attempt to explain some of their beliefs and customs, as well as, link the present Chinese Americans to their past in Communist China. It 's hard to remain objective, particularly while taking this class (COMS540), but in an effort to remain somewhat neutral, we will limit our comments to just slightly closer to being opinionated. We will first cover our visits; when we went and what we saw, move into some not-so-pleasant material concerning practices and communism. Speak on President Sun Yat-Sen. And finish with some proposed construction for the Chinatown area. We found the people to most accommodating and very friendly. We experienced some food, well for Richard (barbecued pork buns) a lot of food, and enjoyed our experience immensely.…
Yang’s fictional account of Jin Wang in American Born Chinese puts this issue into perspective by…
Gazing out of the airplane window, I saw the words Mei Guo— “beautiful country” in Chinese—painted on the airport terminal. My mother and I immigrated to America when I was a small child from Taishan, China. She aimed to remove me from a life where society would limit my options and ostracize me due to my father’s blindness from Retinitis Pigmentosa and the family’s lack of proper education. My father was willing to let go of his only child because he, too, knew it would open infinite opportunities for me to succeed. Though my new life in America seemed prosperous at first, I soon realized I needed to create opportunities for myself despite our lack of resources.…
Cited: Babb, Melissa V. “Ernest Gaines.” Chinese-American Literature. 20.1 (1993): 127-29. JSTOR. Web. 31 July 2014…