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"THE DRAGON VILLAGE."
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Analysis of Yuan-tsung Chen's 1980 coming of age story of a young Chinese woman.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analysis of Yuan-tsung Chen's 1980 story of a young Chinese woman. Fictional tale is paralleled with struggles Chinese people go through as their country adopts Communism. Role of women in China and how the Revolution effected them. Protagonist's fight for equality; breaking down barriers between the sexes.
Paper Introduction:
In Yuan-tsung Chen’s The Dragon’s Village (1980), the coming of age of a young woman, Ling-ling, is paralleled with the struggles that the people of China are going through as their country adopts communism. In the middle of revolution, land reform, and the Korean War, Ling-ling matures and discovers who she is as a woman and a person. Her tale reflects how the role of women in China frequently vacillated between emancipation and oppression during this time in history. Chen uses Ling-ling as well as the other women in her story as an example of what women in China were experiencing during this turbulent time, whether they were old, young, rich, poor, bourgeois, urban, or rural.
To understand how the revolution effected the lives of these women, one should first take a look at Chinese society and
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Chen uses Ling-ling as well as the other women in her story as an example of what women inChina were experiencing during this turbulent time, whether they were old,young, rich, poor, bourgeois, urban, or rural. To understand how the revolution effected the lives of these women,one should first take a look at Chinese society and communism. Thesetypes of things had happened with the old government, they were likely tooccur occasionally with the new. Chinesesociety and culture was uniquely suited to the concept of communism in theone aspect that the good of the group is more important than the good ofthe individual. However, circumstances change and afterXiu-ying is elected she must once again find a third road as she feelspressure from her family to conform to their desire for her to be married."He says that he can't control me, so he wants my future husband to beatme, tame me, and make me bear children. Thus, they were able to teachthem their civil rights under the new law, as well as learn informationfrom them that they would not feel free to divulge in front of the men.This was Ling-ling's job in Longxiang (85). In Yuan-tsung Chen's The Dragon's Village (198 ), the coming of ageof a young woman, Ling-ling, is paralleled with the struggles that thepeople of China are going through as their country adopts communism. Subtlety of speech and action aided the women cadres in gainingthe trust of the women peasants and children. Di Niang, after losing almosteverything, finally feels safe enough to bring forth the fake deeds fromLandlord Chi and consider that she may live an equal life under the new law(284-5). The new government has given them opportunitiesthey would not otherwise have had. Another saying was,"When a girl lives at home, she must obey her father. However, ancient Chinese culturevenerated the elders (specifically those who were male), and the ancestors,while communism was much more egalitarian in its concept of the individual. Yet, Ling-ling must still fight for equality, even amongst her peers.When she and Wang Sha are discussing the happenings in the village, theconversation turns to censorship and individual and civil rights. They were exactly the same hard facts that had scared several generations of women back into the refuge of marriages of convenience. There were even more subtle communications within the villages and itwas up to the work teams to discern both the words and the actions of thepeasants and the landlords so as to carry out the land reform work. Inthe middle of revolution, land reform, and the Korean War, Ling-lingmatures and discovers who she is as a woman and a person. "Itdisconcerted them and the older men to have to have men and womendiscussing serious matters in public as if they were all equals" (1 1).This meeting is only the beginning in breaking down the barriers that existbetween the sexes, as well as the classes, in Longxiang. There are other women who must somehow claim their rights withoutrocking the village boat. Her talereflects how the role of women in China frequently vacillated betweenemancipation and oppression during this time in history. They were scaring me now (166).Ling-ling returns to the village realizing that she and Wang Sha will neverreally meet on common ground, although they are on the same team. Under this tradition the patriarchal male of each family grouphad the right to sell or rent a child, wife, or sister to pay a debt as isthe case with the Broken Shoe and Little Tian's mother (1 7-1 8).Communism, while having its own system of rank, allowed for men and womento be equals under the law in the matters of land ownership, voting,marriage, and other civil rights (198-2 ). They have been brokenirrevocably by those who had claimed to be part of the new government.Chen does not apologize or try to make it happy for these women. Ling-ling has her first experience with themore stringent attitude towards women when she first arrived in Longxiang.She is discussing village events with two of the village elders and she isspoken to through Cheng, her fellow cadre, but never looked at or spoken todirectly (98-99). Chu Hua quotes a line from aclassical poem, "Mount Hua in the midst of clouds and rain," which letsLiao know of her feelings in an indirect manner (58). After that, he says, I will behaveas a decent girl should" (229). Shewants to be able to help Sun's wife, but as a virgin girl it isinappropriate for her to have anything to do with birth. Xiu-ying's mother, although disapproving at first, really wants her daughter tohave the rights and privileges that she missed out on and so feeds herdaughter meat on election day. If she had not spoken out against them, it would be assumed that shehad an even greater crime or sin to confess, which she felt her incoherentfeelings for Wang Sha to be (138-141). AConfucian teaching was, "The sovereign guides the subject, the fatherguides the son, and the husband guides the wife" (79). Despite this egalitarian system, communication of important or taboosubjects was usually oblique in manner, rather than direct. When she is married,she must obey her husband. The Dragon's Village: An Autobiographical Novel of Revolutionary China. New York: Penguin Books, 198 . However, later on, after she has become involved in thelives of the villagers and speaks with these same elders, "I was no longerjust a woman or a girl, but a 'cadre,' one of the new neuter gender thatthe revolution had created" (175). If there was an individual thatneeded to be yielded to, it was because the Party had assigned him or heras senior cadre (official). Work CitedChen, Yuan-tsung. For example, the Chinese Emperor was seen as the national patriarch, to berevered as if he were a god, or an ancestor, or each person's own father. Another example canbe demonstrated in the criticism/self-criticism session where Ling-lingspeaks out against the romantic liaison between her friends Chu Hua andLiao. This is based on her action and belief inthe saying, "Only a man with a full stomach can make himself heard" (2 3).This is unprecedented behavior. TheCommunist Party used women in their work teams to exemplify theegalitarianism of communism and to reach those lowest in the class system,the women. So, she must finda middle road so that she may both do the right thing as well as keep therespect of the villagers and sends for her mother to help (195). Later, when Xiu-ying is nominated for a seat on the village council, she very seriouslydeliberates between being the subdued woman that is generally approved ofin her village and the type of woman that she wants to be able to be. Thisdiscussion masks the emotions that they are feeling for each other and inthe end Ling-ling realizes that Wang Sha, in his own way, is just asconservative as her family and friends in Shanghai. She and her aunt had often catered toher uncle's desires and one of the reason's that Ling-ling became engagedto Bob Lu was to ensure business ties between the two families (6).Although she was allowed more freedom in Shanghai than the village womenwere, she understood their centuries old conditioning of submitting to themale figures in their lives. In fact, the Communist Party had adapted the family circlesusually utilized to discipline a child into criticism/self-criticismsessions for their cell groups (134). For the first time, men and women were in thesame room as equals and it made all of the villagers uncomfortable. The virgin widow is finally able tofeel safe in marrying again (282). One example ofthis type of behavior may be seen in the interchange between Liao and ChuHua on the train ride to the countryside. Ling-ling had had some prior experience with this type of attitude.Growing up in her aunt and uncle's home she had learned the saying, "Youlisten to the man who feeds you" (4). I understood that he was trying to give me a word of warning, to alert me to the hard facts of life. Chen, through Ling-ling, goes on to demonstrates a major breakthroughin the sexual politics of Longxiang when she describes the first meeting ofthe Poor Peasants Association, where the new land reform law is read aloudand explained to everyone. Sun's wife is able to keep her daughter and adopt Xia's childrenand so claim more land than would normally be possible (223). Other women,however, who don't seem to be given the opportunity to start over areLittle Jade, Landlord Wu's daughter, and Tu's wife. And when her husband dies, she must obey herson" (88).
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