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97th out of 147 books
—
44 voters
Bound Feet & Western Dress
"In China, a woman is nothing."
Thus begins the saga of a woman born at the turn of the century to a well-to-do, highly respected Chinese family, a woman who continually defied the expectations of her family and the traditions of her culture. Growing up in the perilous years between the fall of the last emperor and the Communist Revolution, Chang Yu-i's life is marked by a...more
Thus begins the saga of a woman born at the turn of the century to a well-to-do, highly respected Chinese family, a woman who continually defied the expectations of her family and the traditions of her culture. Growing up in the perilous years between the fall of the last emperor and the Communist Revolution, Chang Yu-i's life is marked by a...more
Paperback, 215 pages
Published
September 15th 1997
by Anchor
(first published June 1st 1996)
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I think this book is alright and there are lots of points that inspire and acknowledge me. First, I need to say that I was really confusing at the beginning because there are two part that write as two different person which I didn't realize and it take me some time to figure it out. I think it is confusing, but I think it is fine because it gives me a new feeling and impress of the book. There are also confusion of the old Chinese tradition and it doesn't explain it so well, but this is not a...more
I really enjoy Chinese memoirs, but this one disappointed. There were some strong parts- for example, where Yu-i is forced to make it on her own in a foreign country with no knowledge of the language. But for the most part Yu-i conforms to the Confucian norms she grew up with, making for a dull tale of duty. She is not a rebellious character, and strives to the ideal wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law. It's an interesting insight into the mindset of the time, but if you're familiar with Confuc...more
"In China, a woman is nothing."
Thus begins the saga of a woman born at the turn of the century to a well-to-do, highly respected Chinese family, a woman who continually defied the expectations of her family and the traditions of her culture. Growing up in the perilous years between the fall of the last emperor and the Communist Revolution, Chang Yu-i's life is marked by a series of rebellions: her refusal as a child to let her mother bind her feet, her scandalous divorce, and her rise to Vice Pr...more
Thus begins the saga of a woman born at the turn of the century to a well-to-do, highly respected Chinese family, a woman who continually defied the expectations of her family and the traditions of her culture. Growing up in the perilous years between the fall of the last emperor and the Communist Revolution, Chang Yu-i's life is marked by a series of rebellions: her refusal as a child to let her mother bind her feet, her scandalous divorce, and her rise to Vice Pr...more
The beautifully told story of a remarkable life. Chang Yu-i was born in 1900 to a wealthy Shanghai family, one of 12 children, the second of four daughters. She was the first girl in her family to refuse to have her feet bound, the first to get a divorce, a successful business woman, a bank vice-president, a dutiful daughter and daughter-in-law. Her story is told by her great-niece, a first generation Chinese American who learned of Yu-i's story in her Chinese studies courses at Harvard.
Yu-i was...more
Yu-i was...more
As the title suggests, this is a story that describes two related women, one young and one old, who have struggled with their own identity and their Chinese cultural values. The Chang family was a famous Chinese family. Most male members of the family were scholarly and sent to the west to study. Chang Yu-i, the older woman in the family, became scholarly as well, having been tutored inside and outside of China. The eldest daughter succumbed to an opium addiction.
Almost the entire family moved...more
Almost the entire family moved...more
This was possibly the best book that I've ever read. OMG. Okay, maybe not The best on my list, but possibly a tie for second. It was amazing: a lot of detail, great content, and much much more.
I read this in a day, and let me tell you, it amazed me. In all the books on this genre that I'd read, this was a thriller.
A switch between traditional and ancient times, two women, both marked down with 'no value' stand up for their beliefs and show their uniqueness. Strong, they stand up for their righ...more
I read this in a day, and let me tell you, it amazed me. In all the books on this genre that I'd read, this was a thriller.
A switch between traditional and ancient times, two women, both marked down with 'no value' stand up for their beliefs and show their uniqueness. Strong, they stand up for their righ...more
***1/2 Finished Bound Feet and Western Dress today. It felt very conversational, as if you were sitting in on a conversation with Yu-i and Natasha, hearing how they struggled with their own identity, their own sense of self and cultural identity. Yu-i says that in traditional China a girl was nothing, and yet the girls in her family seem valued and well-loved, though due to the family's lack of resources at a critical point they don't end up with the same advantages of education as their brother...more
I very much enjoy stories which paint the vibrant life of a regular person in the historical context of a different culture, especially an oppressive one (see also "Reading Lolita in Tehran"). There is no need for this book to preach, or to beat you over your head with a message. The way Yu-i interacts with the world flows out of every page, and the lesson you take from this book is the lesson you will learn just from following her life. The story itself is but a well-written record.
The level of...more
The level of...more
This book felt like just another story about the struggles of a Chinese woman. Too many books like this already out there. Some of Yu-i's stories are quite amazing but you just don't get the enormity of these stories in the writing. They come out rather bland. I did learn about a few Chinese traditions and about the woman's role in the Chinese family. Having grown up in Europe and the States, it is so difficult for me to understand how men can treat women as if they are nothing. It is a sad soci...more
I have cried while reading this many times. There are good things to take away, like never, NEVER saying a negative word about your in-laws to ANYBODY. I can see where some hardships could be avoided by living this way. Some of the difficult things included not being able to nurse and raise your own infant/child. In contrast, I LOVED that she nursed until she was SIX, and credits that for her strength and not getting sick! Some of the rules of filiel piety would do the world good today ("Your bo...more
Listened to the audio version of this book. Was great to hear the author's voice even though the production quality wasn't all that great.
I have been a fan of Xu Zhimo ever since I read his most famous poem "Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again." It's a beautiful poem and even more beautiful in Chinese. My favorite stanza:
"Very quietly I take my leave,
As quietly as I came here;
Gently I flick my sleeves,
Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away."
His poetry is so enchanting, beautiful, fluid.
Well,...more
I have been a fan of Xu Zhimo ever since I read his most famous poem "Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again." It's a beautiful poem and even more beautiful in Chinese. My favorite stanza:
"Very quietly I take my leave,
As quietly as I came here;
Gently I flick my sleeves,
Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away."
His poetry is so enchanting, beautiful, fluid.
Well,...more
Jun 09, 2010
Bridget
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in Chinese family traditions, women's roles, etc.
Although this is not the most creatively told story, it is fascinating to learn about the family dynamics of the old-fashioned Chinese family, particularly the woman's role. A couple things I learned: bound feet were considered beautiful, which meant a girl's toes were bent down (and eventually broken) to touch the heel of the foot, then wrapped with cloth. This made walking, even short distances, very painful, which is why most women just stayed home most days. A quick read and very interesting...more
"in China, a woman is nothing. When she is born, she must obey her father. When she is married, she must obey her husband. And when she is widowed, she must obey her son," is how the book begins. She tells the story of the first modern divorce in China in 1922, which is her story. Womanhood, success, eastern values versus western values are all dealt with in this book. Every American woman should read it.
I was deeply moved by this book. BOUND FEET & WESTERN DRESS and WILD SWANS, both written by thoughtful, courageous, and talented Chinese women, speak truth about the warped, twisted traditions of China. This book was given to me by a China-born young woman whom I love dearly. A newly naturalized US citizen, she does NOT want to return to live in China.
Excellent book. The picture on the cover is worth the price of the book. It is the first photograph that I have ever seen of the size of bound feet. I suppose I could have googled the image but the comparison of the "normal" shoe and that of a woman whose feet had been bound was powerful.
There are a few things that would make me uncomfortable with a young teen reading this book. However, I intend to go back and list the pages of concern so that you can decide for yourself.
I found this book at t...more
There are a few things that would make me uncomfortable with a young teen reading this book. However, I intend to go back and list the pages of concern so that you can decide for yourself.
I found this book at t...more
well, I always love a great memoirs... looking at other's life especially in old days during turbulent era in China.
This is the story which is written by Natasha Pang Mei, as first generation of chinese-american. She paints an unforgetable saga of her Great-aunt's memoirs in a perilous years between the fall of the Last Emperor and Communist revolution.
Great, just Great!
This is the story which is written by Natasha Pang Mei, as first generation of chinese-american. She paints an unforgetable saga of her Great-aunt's memoirs in a perilous years between the fall of the Last Emperor and Communist revolution.
Great, just Great!
What an honor to discover someone from a different generation so full of history and this book now capturing it into words. Thanks Natasha.
So much has happened to us Americans and your Chinese family and to see how these two cultures are mixing and blending is truly fascinating.
I hope you keep on writing.
So much has happened to us Americans and your Chinese family and to see how these two cultures are mixing and blending is truly fascinating.
I hope you keep on writing.
I'm jealous of the author for having such an awesome aunt and being able to communicate with her. Her aunt's life is so adventurous and fulfilling, despite all odds, it makes me feel happy for her that she was able to write a book about it. Her aunt is certainly worth celebrating.
I was a little disappointed with this novel. I felt Pang-Mei's autobiographical inserts were not explored with enough depth and should have been left out of this book. Chang Yu-i's story was told without much feeling and I had a hard time relating to her in a meaningful way . . .
Really interesting story of a woman who grew up in changing times. Coming from a traditional upbringing in China to moderen living in the west was not an easy or clear progression for Pang's great aunt. I'm into my woman and travel stage of reading. This was a learning experience about pre revolutionary China.
excellent insight into a family moving from the traditions of the bound feet to the world of modern dress. The only daughter in a chinese family and the trials associated with loving her more than wanting her to conform to the old ways.
A very interesting real-life story with plenty in it about elite Chinese culture in the 20's. My biggest criticism is that the writing is kind of stunted and seems almost more like a high school essay on the author's great-aunt, than a professional piece of literature. But overall enjoyable, quick-read.
The author did a great job speaking in her grandmother's voice, and I learned several interesting facts about Chinese culture. Could have done without the back and forth between the past and present - made it confusing at times.
A friend of mine who is Chinese gave this to me. The story is of a woman who had the first western divorce in China and her struggle with Traditional Chinese vs. westernized chinese. I would recommend this book.
Jan 16, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
people-in-new-culture
Not the best Chinese-American book I've read, but it was all true. I appreciated the part about the sensually and privacy of golden lotuses. I had no idea that the winner in poker at a brothel-type place got to be with the woman of the house with the smallest feet.
It was a great culture shock book. I read it five years ago and it still haunts me. It is the story of a strong woman in an environment meant to destroy and stifle such women.
It provided an interesting and well explained view of Chinese culture. I found the author's pieces on herself to be much less interesting than the main storyline.
When Chang Yu-I was three her mother tried to bind her feet. But the child's cries so tormented her brother that he convinced their mother to stop. This break with convention foreshadowed the extraordinary life Yu-i was to lead. After following her husband, poet Hsu Chi-Mo, a noted philanderer, to Oxford, she made history by becoming the first Chinese woman to have a western-style divorce at age 22. Determined to make her own way, she moved to America and served in a series of prestigious positi...more
The story of Chang Yu-i's life leads us straight to the heart of what it has meant for Chinese women in this century to try to be modern.
I enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot about what is was like to for a Chinese woman at the turn of the century.
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Nov 28, 2011 07:09pm
Nov 28, 2011 07:42pm