And China Has Hands

by H.T. Tsiang

Tsiang, H. T., Cheung, Floyd

Genres: Fiction, Asian American, School, Literature

131 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Poet, playwright, and novelist. Hsi Tseng Tsiang (H. T. Tsiang) was born in China in 1899 and came to America as a child. He was involved with the Greenwich Village literary scene in the 1920s and 1930s, and self-published a number of books which he would hawk at downtown political meetings. Tsiang also appeared as an actor in Hollywood, most notably in the film Tokyo Rose. He died in 1971 in Los Angeles, CA.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely weird, although not as weird as Union Square (which, again, is incredible). Does hit a lot of the same beats as Union, though: e.g cafeterias as sites of proletarian consciousness-raising and endings with big strikes/demonstrations. The anti-capitalism here is a little bit more subdued (but still very obvious), and instead Tsiang builds a more transnational awarenesses. There's an ongoing refrain of people doing work, but explicitly thinking of something else, either another person or how to pay the bills. I was gonna give this 4 stars, but at 170 short pages, I gave it the 5th for never turning into a slog.

[amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ahhh this book was really good and very interesting!! i was surprised by how funny it actually is which makes the tonal switch from a rom com at the beginning to a book about class warfare at the end really interesting. the communist themes throughout the book was done in a way i had never read before, specifically within the idea of inter racial class solidarity. the way the book handles race is especially interesting specifically in the context of racial solidarity btwn black and asian americans. reading the ending scene in the context of foucaults theory of race would also be interesting especially thinking about how the lines btwn different racial groups get blurred at the end.

[Anneke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy reading this. The self insert is pretty funny and there are some pretty engaging scenes and ways that he’s playing around with language to allude to his feelings abt labor. Reminds me of Interior Chinatown, which I also don’t think I’d like as much if I reread it now.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and experimental depiction of the transformative process of immigration, the socioeconomic politics of depression-era NYC Chinatown, and the convergence of race and gender for non-white Americans. A good first read of the semester

[bibiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tsiang's "And China Has Hands" was actually a very intriguing read, one that I did not expect to like but I also thoroughly could not put down. In many ways, it serves to be a novel that is both incredibly solemn and pessimistic, but also one that remains hopeful in various ways.

Some notes:
I believe that this novel's theme serves to follow under the motif of the notorious "American Dream"---a dream that was often unattainable by immigrants who risk everything for it.
- this dream is notably shown through Wang Wan Lee, who does everything and uproots his life to move to the States; he willingly even pours all his money to keep himself in the States and to achieve "fortune"
- this shows the reality for Chinese people at the time, the dream was nothing but a false illusion; moreover, this dream should instead be referred to as more of a "nightmare", for immigrants risked everything they had in order to stay, even allowing themselves to be viewed as lesser
- in many ways, Pearl Chang and Wang Wan Lee serve to play 2 different sides of the same coin
Wang Wan Lee: although he plays into the typical stereotype of the Chinese immigrant, there serve to be intriguing parts to his character
he embodies the traditional Chinese ideals, one that includes "saving face" and having to lie to others in order to save his reputation
this is what leads him to his reckless behavior near the end of the book, as he gambles away all his money for the sake of a "dream" he knew that he could never truly achieve
the gambling scene is also symbolic: it shows a highlight of his life in the midst of a game
- in the beginning, he ends up lucky (being able to end up in the States) but quickly losing that luck (having to pay a fine and being put into extreme debt), only to track back onto the way of fortune as his name suggests
- just as he scores this fortune (opening the laundromat, meeting Pearl Chang), he serves to grow greedy and squanders it all into oblivion (lending money from loan sharks, the war taking away his business, paying the insurance guy, losing the laundromat, ruining his relationship with Pearl Chang due to his lust)
- the game shows the reality of being an immigrant in the States, and how damaging the American Dream was, despite its idyllic promise of fortune and riches
in the end, I believe Tsiang is trying to narrate the dangers of the American Dream through Wang Wan Lee: the dream promises assimilation, being an American, prosperity, yet at the end of it all, the dream is nothing but an illusion
despite how hard working and agreeable the immigrants are, through Wan Lee, it shows that they will never be "American" nor will they be accepted as such; this is shown at the end where after suppressing and submitting to the Americans, Wan Lee affirms his Chinese identity openly to Pearl Chang
he confirms his pride for China and his want for it to prosper amidst the war they were undergoing with Japan, indicating his many hopes he had for both himself and the nation
yet, Tsiang serves to narrate how those following the American dream will never actually succeed since the system itself is flawed and racially motivated against immigrants; despite a promise of their hopes and dreams being drawn into fruition, it can only realistically ever lead to ruin, these dreams will never come to life
this is seen in the physical shooting of Wan Lee by a Japanese man, as well as the loss of his laundromat (he will never be able to reap fortune, and he will never be able to help China win the war against Japan)

Pearl Chang: perhaps she serves to be the contrast to Wan Lee, as she does not align herself onto the path of the "American Dream", but rather a different dream---one that could be called the "Asian Dream"
- she serves to embody the idealized misconception and portrait of Chinese people, despite being half Chinese herself
this is what motivates her to seek out Wan Lee, as she believes she will achieve a sense of belonging by being with him, by identifying as "Asian", she will finally achieve a sense of identity that she serves to be unable to reconcile for the entire novel
- rather, she in turn does not really care for who Wan Lee is, she cares for the fact that he is Chinese and if he fits into her standard of "Asian"
in many ways, she is not far off from the typical American people portrayed in the novel, she operates under a romanticized glare of what they are (her mention of Chop Suey, chow mein), and how she can be more like this idealized version
- she never serves to look past the shallow appearance of "Asian", as she remains trapped into the American image of what a Chinese should be, she remains trapped in the border of what it is to be Chinese, American, and all that is in between
there is also the problem of how she is half black, as she never truly reconciles with that side of herself; her character serves to be a dichotomy and antithesis to America as a whole, as she does not fit into any diaspora located in the States
in many ways, her shallow character is exemplified by her lack of identity in both her sense of belonging, as well as internal struggle of what she really wants
at the core, she embodies the American ideals, yet is never actually truly American herself since she does not fit into that typical physical mold; this is what creates tension in her character as she constantly searches for a place where she belongs

Wan Lee and Pearl's relationship: a very interesting one in fact
- moreover, I think the 2 characters resemble an idealization of the dreams they want to achieve
Wan Lee: to him, Pearl Chang is the physical embodiment of the American Dream he wants, as well as the family and life he craves to have
- this is shown through his obsession with her, thinking about her, and wanting to be with her but not wanting to make it obvious
- he constantly refers to him as an angel, much how he views this American Dream as a saving grace that will grant him fortunes
Pearl Chang: to her, Wan Lee is the physical embodiment of the Asian Dream she wants, and how by surrounding herself with him, she will finally feel a sense of belonging in her identity
- she thinks of him as the idealized version of an Asian man; soft spoken, ambitious, different from the Americans, sophisticated and elevated
yet, when he cannot keep up that illusion, it serves to be the deciding factor of her departure; it indicates how her view of China cannot offer her a solution to the crisis she feels internally
moreover, when the rose tinted glasses come off, it breaks her idealized American view of China, leading her back to her lack of identity and belonging

Wan Lee is everything Pearl wants to be, while Pearl is everything Wan Lee wants. When they meet again at the end after he is shot, it shows the shattered idealizations and dreams they both wanted, mirrored within each other. It shows how hopes and dreams can never be truly realized, and just how constricting these facets of dreams and belonging are within the American sphere.

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, highly recommended for anyone interested in modernism

[Amrita · Rating 4 out of 5]

very grateful to kaya press for putting this and other books by the remarkably interesting chinese-american author and revolutionary activist h.t. tsiang back into print and introducing many readers to him in the process. so much about this short novel is extraordinary, such as the way irreverence and sarcasm seamlessly flows into earnest emotion and then back again, the cheerful and creative breakages of the fourth wall, the clarity and prescient commentary that tsiang consistently provides about the time period he was living in. of course, it's very important as a historical artifact but i think it would be a mistake to look at this story in only one way because there is far more to examine beyond the fact of its existence. there's much to like about this novel and much that could be a rewarding subject for critique but ultimately, i found that tsiang's style, politics, and storytelling combine to draw you firmly into his universe and leave you at last with a great deal to think about.

[Jupiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsiang’s self insert was interesting.

[Molly Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly, hell yeah

ANd Pearl Chang did not come

#modernism

[Bookssica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel. The ending threw me off; it went rather political compared to the whole novel.