Leonard
One of the books that I am considering for the newsletter is "The Golden Mountain" by Irene Kai. I am undecided about including this book because of the nature of the story. I have not read this book in entirety, but I've read some reviews and some comments on the book.

From what I can gather, the story is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of the author's great grandmother, grandmother, mother, and her own. Like many stories that get published, this book seems to paint late 19th and early 20th century Chinese society as misogynistic. Further, the first 20 pages contains a scene where a father kills his new born daughter for being a girl and also seems to portray China Chinese as avid practitioners of bigamy (not the wife in two countries case).

First of all, this could be true, but should we be advocating such a negative story on Chinese society? Would I be white washing Chinese society and culture by not featuring this book? If this was typical for Chinese society, shouldn't we have no apprehensions about advocating such a well written book?

Could any of you tell me that this negative imagery was not true for the majority of Chinese society?

Philip
The taking of two or more wives was limited to those who could afford it. If you were of a certain class in China it was a reality but for the majority of people it wouldn't have been since they wouldn't have been able to afford it. This just means that it reflects the reality of a certain minor in size but very important social group in Chinese history.

Michael
This sounds like the debate that often comes up surrounding Maxine Hong Kingston's books. In fact, this book sounds like it could be one of hers. I think that's tied largely to marketability. Since Kingston's books have done so well, why not emulate her formula?

I think, with any publication, you want something that's completely honest about what it is. If the contents are fiction, you want that to be apparent. If it's not a fair depiction about a certain time or culture, the readers should know that. Ironically, some of my Asian American Studies lecturers said that authors like Kingston have no obligation to represent Asian cultures accurately and can write whatever they want. Even though I think they said that mostly in a spirit of anti-censorship and support for Asian American authors, I don't agree at all. With so many stereotypes and misconceptions about Asian Americans and Asian cultures, I think any author

Why is there so much focus on China at the turn of the twentieth century? Why do authors feel the need to associate misogyny with China and Asian cultures when there's arguably as much in other cultures? These are questions that need to be asked. I think if you do include this book, you should include others (possibly nonfiction) with different perspectives so that you're not advocating an inaccurate portrayal of Chinese culture as a one-dimensional misogynist culture.

Philip
The book reflects the reality of a particular class within Chinese society during that time period. The major problem with Chinese history of the early 20th Century is that the people who didn't have multiple wives; those who were so poor that they didn't learn to read or write, didn't leave much of a written record behind. The fact that the descendants of the rich people were literate and had higher incomes meant that they were also more likely to immigrate to the US and to eventually write their stories. This introduces class bias and the perception that all Chinese had multiple wives and lived in an opium haze. From what I recall, Kingston didn't come from a very poor family.

Imagine what slavery would look like in the history books if only the descendants of slave masters wrote the stories about what it was like. Slavery would look like a very benign and good system I would think.

From the modern woman's perspective, Chinese society of that time was misogynist. As for it being one dimensional, that is probably the function of the leisured classes being the ones telling the story. How many stories in English tell about life from an ordinary Chinese peasant perspective with all of its complications? I think only Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth" fits that bill and she was white and writing in the 1930s. Has anything happened in popular "Asian" literature since then, except for Tan and Kingston? Perhaps part of the problem is that Asian men haven't written hit stories that would combat the perception that we are all misogynists.

Leonard
This debate reminds me of this workshop exercise that Emi Young (editor of Poston Camp II) and friends had put on in conjunction with the release of her father's book. The thing that I remember from the workshop was how I was convinced that what we should let people know is that stereotypes should be avoided. Individuals in various groups may have similar characteristics in common, but for the most part, you cannot make assumptions that we are all the same. There are so many factors that contribute to who we are. Though we may have similarities in terms of cultures, every one of us is completely different. Keep this in mind when you read, watch movies, or learn anything about anybody.

It's now your turn - buy "The Golden Mountain" or check it out from a library. Give us your feedback. Thanks.