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"WILD SWANS."
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Jung Chang's biographical book.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Jung Chang's biographical book. Chinese history during the 20th Century. Compares and contrast two stories from the book that depict the role of women in China. Importance of the extended nuclear family in China. Non-importance of women. Describes the custom of foot binding. Women's position in the Communist Party.

Paper Introduction:
Comparison of Two Incidents from “Wild Swans” by Jang Chung Introductiono Wild Swans is a book by a Chinese author Jung Chang that is part autobiography and part biography.Chang writes about three women -- her grandmother (Yu Fang), her mother (Ba Qin) and herself. When the three lives are considered together, they become a unique tapestry that shows the highlights of Chinese history during the last century. This paper will compare and contrast two tales he tales also show a strong picture of the role of women in China. We have the tales of Yu Fang at the beginning of the book. This woman, who came from a poor and unschooled family, became the concubine of a warlord. During this first tale in the book, called “Three Inch

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The only alternative she knew was the Communists, and she had been particularly attracted by the promise of injustices against women. 93). In this first tale, we get a good sense of two concepts: theimportance of the extended nuclear family in China, and the non-importanceof women. China had become a republic in1912, following the Wuchang Uprising inspired by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Not only doChinese believe that their country is the center of the world, the culturealso believes that men are the center of the country. In fact, the book is mostilluminating when she begins telling of herself and how she evolved from aCommunist to a disillusioned idealist to the granting of her PhD inEngland. Forinstance, we glimpse wonderful moments of the family's generations, but wedon't develop a strong emotional feel. A succession of dynasties and inter dynastic warring kingdomsruled China for some 5, years, and this helped create a brillianttechnologically and a culturally advanced society. We have the tales of Yu Fang at the beginning of the book. During this first tale in the book, called "Three Inch GoldenLilies: Concubine to a Warlord General" the author relates how hergrandmother, when barely a girl, was given as a prize to the rulingwarlord. She decided to join the Communists (p. References: Chang, J. The cultural core of Chinese society is the extended nuclearfamily, and the author reminds us that it was not unusual to see largefamilies living in the same household (p. Thiswoman, who came from a poor and unschooled family, became the concubine ofa warlord. Up to now, at the age of fifteen, she had not felt ready to commit herself fully. When the threelives are considered together, they become a unique tapestry that shows thehighlights of Chinese history during the last century. 55). Themother had the benefit of being born into a family where women were atleast respected, if not cherished. Comparison of Two Incidents from "Wild Swans" by Jang Chung Introductiono Wild Swans is a book by a Chinese author Jung Chang that is partautobiography and part biography.Chang writes about three women -- hergrandmother (Yu Fang), her mother (Ba Qin) and herself. From this marriage came Ba Qin, the author's mother. It was necessary,however, to have women, for the acts of procreation and running the houseand making life better for the master. By the time Yu Fang was born, China was at a turning point in itshistory. This paper willcompare and contrast two tales he tales also show a strong picture of therole of women in China. My grandmother screamed in agony and begged her to stop (Page 24). Shewas presented to the Warlord who looked upon her with favor, and then shewas taken into his house. Her mother struggled with hardships in the early days of Mao'srevolution and rose, along with her husband, to a prominent position in theCommunist Party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution.Since Yu Fang was just barely 15 when her feet began being crushed, it isinteresting to note the things that were going through her daughter's mindat the same age. Her mother, who herself had bound feet, first wrapped a cloth about twenty feet long round her feet, bending all the toes except the big one inward and under the sole. In fact, the two women -- the grandmother and mother -- are suchiconic figures that they almost are used as symbols to move a story. The binding was to make the feet small and pretty and also to cripplethe woman so she would not flee. The grandmother, however, did flee andfind a husband. There were few jobs for men, and even fewer for women. However, hergrandmother was blessed -- or cursed at times -- with an intellect. Here's how this brutality isdescribed. AfterWorld War II, the Communist Party came to power, and those citizens whodisagreed with Communism formed the Guomintang and moved to Taiwan,establishing a government there in 1949. The news of Cousin Hu's death made her mind up. Then she placed a large stone on top to crush the arch. It was there that the most terrible thinghappened -- the binding of the feet. This was indeed a huge step forward. Millions of Chinese have similar stories of sadness and heroismand the desire to grow and survive and endure and gain an education.However, few of those have the desire or the intellect to sort out thosetales of terror and anguish and create a book that will, in itself, endure. The 19th Century saw ageneral social weakening of China in which rebellions killed tens ofmillions of people, and the governments of Russia, Japan, Britain, and theUnited States took political and economic control in large parts of thecountry. That same year, the People'sRepublic of China was formalized in Beijing, or Peking, under Chairman MaoZedong.The beliefs and goals of the mother are not as clearly drawn as those ofthe grandmother, which suggests that perhaps the family mythology brokedown in that generation. In the book we find My mother had been turning more and more against the Kuomintang for some time. The very word for China --"jung gwo" means "Middle kingdom," or"center of the world" and there is much power in that word. My grandmother's feet had been bound when she was two years old. It was stunning to realize the depth of philosophy and socialconscience Ba Qin had at such an early age. (1991), Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, New York,Anchor World Views

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