Book Description

The students who came to the United States in the early twentieth century to become modern Chinese by studying at American universities played pivotal roles in Chinese intellectual, economic, and diplomatic life upon their return to China. These former students exemplified key aspects of Chinese "modernity," introducing new social customs, new kinds of interpersonal relationships, new ways of associating in groups, and a new way of life in general. Although there have been books about a few especially well-known persons among them, this is the first book in either English or Chinese to study the group as a whole.

The collapse of the traditional examination system and the need to earn a living outside the bureaucracy meant that although this was not the first generation of Chinese to break with traditional ways of thinking, these students were the first generation of Chinese to livedifferently. Based on student publications, memoirs, and other writings found in this country and in China, the author describes their multifaceted experience of life in a foreign, modern environment, involving student associations, professional activities, racial discrimination, new forms of recreation and cultural expression, and, in the case of women students, the unique challenges they faced as females in two changing societies. ... Read more

Book Description

This startling and unsentimental recollection of childhood and coming of age in the back alleys and bustling streets of San Francisco's Chinatown reveals the sinister and pervasive influences of organized crime. Delivering an almost-casual expose into the underworld of an urban Chinatown, "Chinese Playground: A Memoir" traces author Bill Lee's maturation from innocent child in a troubled family to a street punk, gang member, and college graduate struggling to break free of his involvement in escalating violence. In a dark journey spanning forty years, Lee fights an ongoing battle against relentless childhood demons and nightmares, ultimately coming to terms with his past and peace with himself.

Lee's personal accounts of two high-profile murder incidents are engrossing. The 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre in San Francisco that left five dead and eleven wounded, was carried out by his blood-brothers who were engaged in the most violent Asian gang war in U.S. history. A decade later, a mad gunman killed seven and injured four at ESL, a high-tech firm in Sunnyvale, California where Lee was employed. An unlikely hero emerges as he accepts his fate, employing his street instincts to save co-workers during the murderous rampage.

A moving look at the murky histories of Lee's parents -- both Chinese immigrants -- adds depth to this story and poignantly points to typical family dysfunctions that contribute to confusion, fear and aggression in young people. The author's early recollections are seen through the eyes of an innocent boy who was nearly aborted and sold away. As a young gang member, his pain and fears are hidden beneath a tough, macho facade as he contends with gambling, drugs, extortion and murder. Entering adulthood, Lee's street savvy and dark view of the world manifests itself into an aggressive, win-at-any-costs attitude which he unleashes in Silicon Valley. Lee faces his biggest challenge when he returns to the streets of Chinatown in search of his runaway son and confronts his own dark past. Lee's determination to heal his soul and transform his life is inspiring.

This book is a provocative read providing valuable insight into the Chinese-American culture, organized crime, distressed families, at-risk youths, personal recovery, Bay Area history, and Silicon Valley. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

All I needed to know
WOW!!!!! This book was shared with me by my husbands cousin. He knows of my frustrations and my always unanswered questions of my husband and in-laws. You see my husband as well as his family grew up in Chinatown San Francisco in the 60's and 70's and few still remain. I had always questioned my Father in Laws reasons for moving his family out of there as he has made it very clear that he has always wanted his children to marry Chinese and not any others.He also would never answer any questions on or about his childhood etc. My husband has always said its just the way it was and was always telling me please dont ask to many questions (its a respect thing). My husband did read this book also and knows of many of the key characters. When he finished it he said "You get it now?" And yes I do. He was able to share with me all of the family (secrets) history without shame or fear. Thank you Mr. Lee for giving him the courage to release all of this that has been bottled up for so many years. Also Thank you for helping me to better understand and respect my Father-in-law and his past.

An accurate portayal of life growing up in SF's Chinatown
Bill Lee's work is important to the history and culture of San Francisco's Chinatown in the 60's and 70's. It tells tales of events which might otherwise go untold. The media presents its stories as a slice of life. The book however presents an in-depth look at the life of a Chinatown youth. As such, we are given an understanding of the situations that surround our daily lives. Professors and Intellectual scholars such as Sanders and Nee in all their wisdom would never be able to attain such a solid grasp of the subject matter. This is an important read, and no doubt should be used as curricula in urban studies and ethnic college level course. Asian American Urban kids are at risk. They must not be allowed to fall through the cracks to society's underbelly. Parents should read this to better understand the problems which their kids face. Bill Lee, thanks for giving these kids a voice.

How new generation can relate also.
I was born in San Francisco. It isn't like that anymore as you can see, I didn't live in Chinatown but regularly go to my Grandma or grandpa after school in chinatown. I lived in Japantown til I was six years old. I moved to Oakland ever since.

When I brought this book, I didn't know what to expect, but when I read about his life, I could really relate to his childhood. Not as extreme as his was, but I can really relate, and how I would turn out if I was still in San Francisco. Would probably be the same as him with those family issues like that. Can turn a kid to look at their enviroment for support. I too am Toishanese, does that mean most toishanese parents are stubborn and ignorant? I don't know.

And the Enviroment in Oakland is no different. Kids want to be goo wak jais and hard ghetto punks.

excellent book
this is a very well-written book for a non-fiction plot. It was recommended to me by a friend and I have to say the plot was not boring, the author was very descriptive in his writing. Don't miss out on this.

Very powerful
Yeah-- so forget about some of the editing problems-- this book is a must read! There are so many similarities between this and cultish groups. It doesn't matter if you're a poor kid in Chinatown or a rich kid in a brainwashing group-the lessons remain the same:One's inner voice--thinking for onesself and then of course--running away when you can --are universal stories. We have seen it in Nazi Germany, with Waco, in Chinatown and in Jonestown. KIDS of all ages should read this truly eye-opening account of how easy it is to get pulled in to an ideology that then kills its own.... ... Read more

Book Description

This masterful biographical novel—which has sold more than 100,000 copies—tells the true life story of Lalu Nathoy, a young Chinese girl sold into slavery in 1871 by her poverty-stricken family and auctioned off in the American West. McCunn tells the gripping tale of how Lalu struggled out of servitude to achieve a life of freedom and dignity as a pioneer woman.

"A valuable book that gives Chinese Americans another true heroine."
—Maxine Hong Kingston ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Very moving, sad story
I really enjoyed reading 'Thousand pieces of gold' by RuthAnne Lum McCunn. I personally don't like to read, but for the first time, I actually liked reading this book. Since English isn't my first language, I've always had trouble understanding a book. The reason why I chosed to read this book is, because I thought that it would be interesting to get to know about the Chinese culture. As I read along the book, I found out few interesting things, for example, Chinese females kept their feet as small as possible because they believed that it was one way to be pretty. What most interested me was that long time ago in China, all the daughters and wives had to do all the housework and thier value was less then men, also treated like a slaves. Females had no right to do anything, they had to obey to husband and father. I really dislike the fact that female has no power to do anything. The main character Lalu, a daughter of poor farmer who was sold to the bandits. Because they were too poor her father sold her for bags of seed and saved his wife and son. I was so shocked that her father actually gave up on her for bags of seed. The author described every emotions on the situations very strongly so that the reader could feel it vividly. I sympathized her the most of the time while I was reading. The story of Lalu's life was very tragic and sad, but also she had strong mind of hoping for freedom that gave her strength to get through the hardship. The author didn't use too many hard vocabulary, and the sentenses weren't too complicated, so It was easier for me to read and understand. Also, the author made each chapter short(4pages long), but each chapter proceed exciting stories, which draw me into book more and more. I recomend this book to those who prefer easy reading especially those who English isn't first language or having trouble understnading.

fighting for freedom
Thousand pieces of gold is an exciting story of struggle of a young Chinese daughter, fighting for her freedom.I really liked this book because there is a lot of cultural and historical issues about the old times in China and how people had different ways of seeing things and there are also examples of American slavery and America during the time of Gold Rush. What I found most interesting about this book was the way Polly,the main character, was faced with so many different problems such as: being sold to the bandits by her own parents, being auctioned of naked when she was sold again in America, being sold to an old man and having to sleep with him,and just how badley she was treated by some men in her life, and the way she dealt with it by fighting to get her freedom back and being able to go on with her life and trying to be happy. It was just amazing how brave she was! Also as an immigrant in America, I could really relate to her. The story was so exciting that I just wanted to read more and more until I got to the end. I think anybody could enjoy this book and learn something from it, since it's full of themes and talks about many real issues like American slavery, the old China country, and what kind of problems immigrants that come to America have to go through that a lot of people don't even know about. I also recommend this book to Asian immigrants who I think can relate to this book the most!

Waste of time
Reading this book was a total waste of time. I met the author recently. She asked if we thought any of the book was irrelevant...personally I thought the whole book was irrelevant.

Thousand Pieces of Gold
Poorly written. Brutal content. Chinese portrayed as barbaric people with animalistic behavior. Lalu's father sells her to bandits knowing 50 men plan to gang rape her to death.Refers to how her dark skin lessens value. Lalu, 13, contemplates suicide as an honorable solution. The bandits draw lots to see who goes first. 43 is upset because she will be "mushy" by his turn. She is sold to a brothel, ends up in a saloon owned by Hong King,a cruel man who rapes and prostitutes her. Writing painfully too simple. After the first 100 pages, most of this book moves slowly like an amatuer biography written by a family member about grandma. A boring, brutal book written at a 1st grade level. Can be disturbing to those sensitive about children being raped.

Poor writing doesn't do story justice
I can't agree any more with the reviews that have pointed out the poor writing in this book. As a fan of stories about Chinese Americans and of historical fiction, I was sorely disappointed with this novel; what could be emotionally-moving scenes just aren't because of the "see jane run" kinds of descriptions. There is no skillful subtlety in this novel. I normally don't like to be this publicly critical, but this is one of the only times I've felt this strongly about something. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

One of the best novals I read all summer
The Fifth Chinese Daughter is an excellently written novel about a Chinese American girl growing up in San Francisco's Chinatown. When this book arrived in the mail the last thing I wanted to do was read it when I could play my X-box and watch T.V. After a week I finally got around to reading a chapter and was surprised to find myself reading it all day. Unfortunately I didn't pick it up again until I was in Sedona with my Dad. There I read all but fourteen pages. It wasn't for another week until I finished.
This story was expertly written and fun to read. Despite my early protests I enjoyed hearing about a young oriental girl change from a well-disciplined Chinese daughter growing up in Chinatown to an artist who finally achieved the recognition from her family she had longed for since childhood. It gave a sense of evolution, struggle, and triumph, as the book progresses. It explains a child's need for acceptance, respect, and material riches as Jade Snow Wong progresses through school, odd jobs, collage, and adulthood. This would have been my favorite book all summer had it not been for reading The Grey Ghost, but i'm not here to review that so i'll go on.
This book is obviously a book I would recommend to others because it always has the main character striving to survive in a stereotypical world. It shows Jade Snow's personality being that the harder it got the harder she would try. This is shown many times in the book, like when she went to the employment agents and found jobs in house working. Also when she got into Mills Collage, that she wanted more then just to clean houses and end up as a house wife like she had been raised and become something more.
Unlike other novels I've read this summer this one sticks out by its great writing style and many twists. An example of witch is when she gets a job at a shipyard and works for what seems might be the whole war when she gets only one job option, to be a secretary.I shouldn't give away what happens naext for fear of not getting my review published. Her accomplishments finally drive her family to recognize her. The book has many unexpected twists and turn and was a joy to read, so i recomend that you read it to.

An Inspiring Story
The Fifth Chinese Daughter is an excellently written noval about a Chinese American girl growing up in San Fransiscos Chinatown. When this book arrived in the mail the last thing I wanted to do was read it when I could play my X-box and watch T.V. After a week I finaly got around to reading a chapter and was surprised to find myself reading it all day. Unfortanently I didn't pick it up again untill I was in Sedona with my Dad. There I read all but forteen pages. It wasn't a for another week untill I finished.
This story was expertly written and fun to read. Dispite my early protests I enjoyed hearing about a young oriantle girl change from a well disaplined chinese daughter growing up in Chinatown to an artist who finally achived the recognition from her family she had longed for since childhhod. It gave a sense of evolution, struggle, and triumph, as the book progresses. It explanes a childs need for aceptece, respect, and material riches as Jade Snow Wong progresses through school, odd jobs, collage, and adulthood.
This book is obviosly a book I would recomend to others because it always has the main charecter striving to survive in a sterotypical world. It shows Jade Snow's personality being that the harder it got the the harder she would try. This is shown many times in the book, like when she went to the employment agentsy and found jobs in houseworking. Also when she got into Mills Collage, that she wanted more then just to clean houses and end up as a house wife like she had been raised and become somthing more.
Unlike other novals i've read this summer this one sticks out by it's great writing style and many twists. An example of witch is when she gets a job at a shipyard and works for what seems might be the whole war when she gets only one job option, to be a secretary. She turns it down when she gets an idea to shape pottery and then to sell it. Her acomplishments as an artist finaly drive her family to recognize her. The book has many unexpected twists and turn and was a joy to read.

Superficial, poorly-written and patronizing
I usually don't write negative reviews, but I really was surprised by all the glowing reviews here. I truly think this is a terrible book and here is why.

1). The characters are only skin deep. We never really get to know them beyond their attitudes toward Jade Snow. And Jade Snow herself is very opaque as well, we don't get to know more of her except that she is filial, hard-working and eager to please people. The insides of these characters are not alive and they resemble dull automatons carrying out the actions of a pre-determined script.

2). The prose is very flat, so the end result reads like a very long summary of the plot rather than the book itself. The author crammed in many minutae of her life into the writing, with a emphasis on the details of food preparation. but most of the details are not evocative and fails to enrich the world she is trying to portray.

3). A streak of very patronizing attitude to Asians Americans run through out the book. It culminate with a cringe-inducing climax of self-hate at the very end of the last chapter, in a scene meant to be the big emotional pay-off for the whole book. Jade Snow's father tearfully confess that he had done wrong by raising her under the backward Chinese culture, and that he should have raised her in the superior, freedom-loving Christian way.

Jade Snow Wong's Fifth Chinese Daughter
"You must have confidence that I shall remain true to the spirit of your teachings. I shall bring back to you the knowledge of whatever I learn." Fifth Chinese Daughter is an inspiring autobiography that traces the life of Jade Snow Wong from childhood to adulthood in San Francisco's Chinatown. In her book, Jade Snow describes the numerous hardships and rewards that shaped her life. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Asian culture of early twentieth-century America. Looking through Jade Snow's eyes, the reader is able to experience the conflicting cultural experiences of the middle daughter of a large family of Chinese immigrants.
Conforming to Chinese tradition, Jade Snow felt that her worth as an individual was dictated by her family. Although Jade Snow's father took pride in educating his daughters in both Chinese and American customs, he valued the future potential of his sons over that of his daughters. Jade Snow's childhood is tainted by unjust punishment and suppressed emotion. Such experiences led her to pursue independence and acknowledgment in a country that offered numerous opportunities for well-educated young woman. However, from her difficult childhood, Jade Snow learned discipline and respect, qualities that allowed her to succeed and gain respect from her family. It is fascinating to witness her transformation from a submissive child to a woman of integrity and perseverance.
As Jade Snow tirelessly worked her way through college, she came to understand the injustices of Chinese tradition. Ironically, at this time, she also developed a greater appreciation for her Chinese heritage and through it discovered her life's passions. Despite the heavy skepticism and criticism of her family, Jade Snow pursued her dreams with optimistic determination, suffering many hardships along the way. In each of her life's stories she proves to us that great rewards come from hard work and unfailing belief in one's self. If you ever feel hopeless or just want to be inspired, Jade Snow's story will lift you out of your darkness.

San Franciscan Chinese Gal
In the book Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong, the author tells readers about her childhood as a Chinese girl living in San Francisco. Ms. Wong gives readers a chance to see what life was like growing up during the early 1900's as a Chinese girl. Throughout the book, you learn many things Chinese-Americans do which are different from American customs. Readers are given an idea of how Chinese-American's raised their families during that time. The author shows in vivid detail what happened to her and what she had to work for in her childhood.
Jade Snow was brought up in a household that made sure their children knew their native culture as well as the culture around them. Since an early age, Jade was given Chinese lessons by her father until she was old enough to attend Chinese school everyday after her American classes were over. The book chronicles Jade's life from her early childhood to when she becomes a young woman living on her own. Throughout the book, you see Jade learn to do the shopping for the family, cope with problems in school like discrimination, get into college on her own, and find jobs for herself.
There were many things I liked about this book. Even though, this book isn't like the books I normally read, it was very hard to put down. The author writes her story in
graphic details, which pulled me into the book. I loved how she talked about her father in many ways, how some days he believed in her and others, he had no confidence in her. Also, I believe that Jade was a strong girl throughout her childhood. This is because she had to live with such strict rules in her household like respecting her elders, and how if she or her siblings did anything wrong, they would get punished by getting whipped.
If I were to compare this novel with others I have read, I would have to say that this novel is in my top 50 books I have ever read. I found that every page I turned in this book, I was wondering what would happen next. This novel was very fun to read because I liked learning about what life was like for a young Chinese-American Women growing up during the early 1900's.
I would most likely recommend this novel to another, unless the person did not like autobiographies. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about people of different cultures. Jade Snow's book is geared more to people who like to read about people's cultures, but I think many would find this book very interesting. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It's unbelieveable
You just can't believe the entire story. You can't believe someone could live their life like this. The tale is definately gripping & it's narrated from a third person/Bernard perspective. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Compelling cultural drama draws you in and won't let go
Get ready to give up your weekend because once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down. Lee's dramatic descriptions cover the conflicts between historical Eastern and Western traditions woven into poignant family events. While his relatives and their antics seem quirky and particular, in fact they resonate with all families facing abrupt changes and adaptation --be they generational or cultural. For those who have read and loved China Boy and Honor and Duty, Chasing Hepburn gives us the pre-story we've all been wondering about.

A family in context
In this remarkable memoir, Gus Lee presents a clear and compassionate picture of his parents, grandparents and their 'clans' set in turbulent times. He brings alive the social, historical, religious and cultural context which informs their actions and reactions making them comprehensible to a reader with a totally different cultural viewpoint. It reads like a multi-generational adventure novel where the characters play parts in or are impacted by major events, from the Taiping rebellion through the British opium trade to the civil wars that raged from the early twentieth century through the brutal Japanese occupation in WWII. It is a wild ride and a great read. Gus presents his forbears and related characters warts and all, but always with great compassion and subtlety. There are no cardboard characters. Readers of his novels, which have a strong autobiographical base, particularly 'China Boy', will know what a hard childhood he endured with a stern and distant father, a mother prone to 'magical' beliefs who died when he was five, and a rigid, vindictive step mother. In this memoir, Gus reveals to us what he subsequently discovered about his parents and he honors them both. Gus's own life has been a testament to using adversity to build strength. He has wasted no time blaming, or scoring points off his parents or using his experiences to excuse failings in his own life. There is no 'poor me' here. His story helped me understand a completely different belief system and cultural perspective. And it was at times moving, at other times funny, but always interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, A Memoir and Manual by Cathy Bao Bean is about how she and her husband, artist Bennett Bean, raised their son to be at least bicultural. The author relates how she, an immigrant from China, figured out how to be herself as well as raise a son whose father did things like paint the lawn.

The Chopsticks-Fork Principle will circulate as a cult classic because of this family's rare combinations and as a ?popular? listing because it deals with ordinary family issues in a practical way. The book is pure, it is heartfelt, it is important. You must know about her Menopausal Theory of Cooking and how to persuade the Canada geese to live somewhere else. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

She's an awesome lady!
Cathy came to speak at my college class today and I have to say she is an awesome lady with great insight on life. She's also very funny. She read some exerpt from her book and it really got the class laughing. Her concept of the fork and chopstick is ingenius, I loved it. Her writing style is also very descriptive and witty. If you like to laugh, you'll love this book.

I am very excited about reading this book. HAPPY READING!

wonderful stories and terrific use of language
This is a wonderful book, with great stories and intriguing perspectives. Anyone who is a parent would benefit from reading it. It provides an excellent window to education/learning, intergenerational harmony, and cross-cultural communication.

WISE, WITTY, WONDERFUL, WELL WRITTEN...BUY IMMEDIATELY
As a 60 year old who was sent to summer camp when I was 4 years old, went to public school in New York City until high school and then wound up commuting to Columbia College on the #4 bus because my parents considered me too young to live away from home; as the husband of an art collector who has never been encumbered by anyone's opinion of right or wrong; as a parent, as a son......it was pure delight to read this book.

Yes, we've known Bennett Bean for 20 years. We have collected his work, commissioned him to make a multi-media painting for our home and we have been working with him for four years on a carpet project......we understand and celebrate his sense of joy and adventure in making art.......and we did know his wife, Cathy, but not the way we know her now.

Cathy Bao Bean writes with style, grace, wit, relevance. I have sent her book to our children to read so they can see down the road of child-rearing. I have sent her book to friends my age so the see that they are not alone in their feelings.

This book confirms the notion that gems exist outside the normal publishing distribution channels......and how major businesses miss great opportunities every day.

WARNING, CAUTION: This book may cause you a problem. You will want to read it very quickly.....please do not do this. Savor it, read it very slowly.

DOUG ANDERSON

The Chopsticks/Fork Principle
Not a traditional memoir, The Chopsticks/Fork Principle is more of a love-letter to the author?s family, friends and to life in general. But it is never sentimental or maudlin. Ms. Bean has taken her Eastern heritage and blended it (not without some lumps and bumps) with her Western lifestyle, to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Her delight in what her life has brought her will sweep the reader into a special world that is, indeed, a very nice place to visit. Her wry, dry and sly humor, her sharp wit, her genuine wisdom and her slightly off-center philosophy of life and living, make this a rare treat - a truly charming book.
Cathy Bao Bean deliberately chooses to see the best side of people and, whenever possible, events. To do this, she has allowed time to mellow hurts and humor to cushion memories.
As someone who grew up in New York at about the same time as the author, I confess to being unaware of the discrimination against Chinese Americans, especially following World War II when many Chinese were mistaken for Japanese. Ms. Bean tells her stories with humor and subtlety, which gives them a resonance they might not have had in less skillful, or kindly, hands.
One of the author?s childhood stories really surprised me. At about the age of ten, her parents sent her to summer camp. ... Her tales of camp were a trip down memory lane for me, and a reminder of how shared experiences - especially good ones - create bonds between people, no matter what their origins or differences.
As a ?manual,? The Chopsticks/Fork Principle has much to teach about relationships with people, nature and community.
If you are looking for a meaningful gift for Valentine?s Day or Mother?s Day, this is a good one!

Mindful amalgamation
I have already read @ 85 words, and can't put it down for more than a few minutes at a time. It's everything the jacket promises and and more. As a parent I love her insights about parenting. As a daughter, I love her insights into her heritage. And I have already laughed out loud more than once. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From 1966 to 1976 the malevolent rage of the Chinese Cultural Revolution struck a devastating blow to all religions in China, destroying countless temples and shrines that had stood for centuries and forcibly returning thousands of monks and nuns to lay life. Bill Porter had been told that the venerable hermetic tradition in China had also succumbed, but he went looking anyway. What he found, Taoist and Buddhist monks and nuns living in huts and caves deep in the mountains of central China, is more than a revelation, it is a glimmer of hope for the future of religion in China. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Uniquely Beautiful and Insightful...
Bill Porter's account of his forays in the mountains of China is simply wonderful. It is a perfect blend of travelogue, local history, and interviews with hermits of the region (who are making a comeback in numbers after the Cultural Revolution). If you are looking for this sort of blend, rather than simply one of these focuses, then this is the book for you. Porter writes with an informed and deep appreciation for his subject. The real jewel of this book, however (and in my own opinion,) is the collection of interviews with people you would only meet if you went there. Hermits tend not to travel. And their insights into the spiritual life are very, very deep--even if they sound simple on the surface. This is *the* book I would take with me if I knew I'd be stranded on a desert island. And I work in a bookstore.

Very interesting examination of Chinese hermits
For the most part I found this book to be an excellent rendition of the author's and photographer's trips through China, visiting with Taoist and Buddhist monks. The photographs blend in well with the text, and the two combine to give quite a good sense of the places and the people encountered. My only complaint was that the narrative seemed a bit rushed at time, almost as if the author had a quota of hermits to hook up with in a certain number of days - so no time to hang around. I think an in depth examination of the lives of 2 or 3 hermits might be another approach that could possibly yield more depth, as opposed to the greater breadth of this book.

Anyway - a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in religion, China, Buddhism, or Taoism.

Travellogue to China
I was pleased at the start of this book, to have some geographical descriptions but it became more of a travel diary of where to go and what not to do. It is understandable that such an elusive prey as solitary hermits requires determined searching and physical effort, but less of the travellogue and more of the interviews may be useful. If you want to follow in some of Porter and Johnson's footsteps, be sure to have real time stamina and energy. This appears to be an exhaustive examination of the roads to travel. Little here to gain from insight and spiritual discovery, though there are a few gems hidden in the very wordy treatise. Not recommended for impatient travellers.

The Trail of the Tao
What a great book! An American expatriate living at a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan takes advantage of the lifting of travel restrictions to see if China's legendary tradition of hermits still endures. He arrives in 1989, during the student demonstrations in Tienanmen Square. The officials assure him that the decadent hermits have been completely wiped out long ago. In spite of this, the scholar presses inland to the heart of China. He finds himself drawn to the Chungnan mountains- the mighty spine of the dragon, the bones of China itself, dividing the Yangtze country in the south from the Yellow river country to the north. He doesn't realize that this is where shamanism first arose in China, if not in the human world. This was where the Immortals lived. This was where Lao-tzu wrote the Tao te Ching. Here, he finds his hermits, Buddhist and Taoist, young and old, male and female. I think that the best part in the entire book was when one ancient hermit, who had been living in the mountains since 1939, asked the author, "Who is this "Mao" that you speak of?"

After his initial contact with Chungnan hermits (he would return) the author heads back down into modern China. He finds that the Tienanmen Massacre has occurred.

Upon reading this book I got a sense that the true bones of China were untouched by Communism, as they will no doubt be left untouched by Corporatism. I found this book to be inspiring- you could not invent a piece of fiction this good. However, I also found myself wishing that the author had brought that ancient hermit back with him to face down the butchers of Tienanmen.

One man centered in the Tao can do much....

No shortcuts to heaven
This book provide a fleeting image of cloud people, the Chinese hermits who have turned their backs on this world of red dust. There is a stark contrast between the monks and hermits, and the busy American, rushing about asking homely questions like "Were you upset when the Red Guards burned your library?" or "Do you get any mail?"
Yet, I find myself returning to "Road to Heaven" because there are a few anecdotes, gems and asides about famous hermits that make it worthwhile reading. Searching for a lost quote, I return to the hasty interviews with abbots and nuns standing guard at old temples and shrines. And I find more to their stories than first meets the eye.
There is stillness and tranquility in the frugal lives of the Chinese hermits, and a firm unwavering grip on the essentials of religion. They represent the last living flicker of the spiritual wisdom originating with Lao-tzu. And now their world vanishes into the darkness, like sparks from a windswept fire. ... Read more

Book Description

The author chronicles the lives of three generations of Chinese men in America, woven from memory, myth and fact. Here's a storyteller's tale of what they endured in a strange new land. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

China Men: An Inspiration to Listen
China Men, is a captivating autobiography that is more than a history book: as her second novel, Maxine Hong Kingston captures historical fact, Chinese mythology and ethics and her personal family story blending these ingredients to create a novel that makes the reader think. Storytelling the experiences that her father, grandfather and other male relatives encountered in their individual travels to America, Kingston's lyrical and distinct style looks into the true story of Chinese immigration. Written in a very patriarchal voice, China Men describes the four generations of Kingston's family, their adventures in playing their part in different stages of the Chinese American story. Beginning with the mystery of her father's journeys to the "Gold Mountain", through to the great grandfather who built railroads, one of the great Chinese experiences, and ending with the story of her brother who was to fight for America: Kingston takes us into her families soul and leaves us with a sense of knowledge of how important it is to listen, not to neglect our history and to pass our stories on. The experiences of Kingston's father, the open ended explanations of his becoming a citizen was especially interesting, as his story was never truly clarified. This did not leave me confused, but instead the tragic and entertaining stories let me understand the difficulty and curiosity that is involved in understanding your personal past. Throughout the novel, there is connection to the character of the father; the author's ambition to understand her father and her history better: to bring the past to life. The fact that Kingston is a woman does not stop the continuity of the man's story. China Men deals with her families ever-changing view of where home is: never quite letting the reader into her own mind, I hope that is a story yet to come

Words of Chinese Wisdom...You don't want to miss this one!
If you want to learn about a great, five-thousand-years-old culture of the east meeting the west, China Men is definitely the right book for you. Maxine Hong Kingston has skillfully woven an epic of Chinese history in America in the most creative way. From the early Chinese immigration to the present day, the Chinese's dream, experience, suffering, and success in America is wonderfully told through many generations. Unlike many historical novels, this book is told from the Chinese perspective right down to the details from character to character. This book is written so impressively eloquent and truth to the bones that I dare say a native Chinese might not even know as much about his/her own culture. From Alaska to Hawaii, Kingston has covered every corner of the U.S. that Chinese immigrants have gone. The characters also added a little Chinese wisdom now and then in a day when working on the railroad or fighting in the Vietnam War.

Aside from extremely in-depth in history and Chinese culture, the stories are especially fun to read. I can only describe them as totally fantastic, bizarre, and unbelievable.Do you know the Chinese had found a place called"Land of Women" ? There was also communist Uncle Bun who suspected the U.S. government was plotting to poison him by collecting garbage from every door and hiding them in his food. Yes, these interesting stories have significant meaning related to the actual history. Not all of them are funny though; there are also stories that are terrifyingly shocking such as the inhuman tortures the Japanese did to Chinese and the bias laws America had toward Chinese. There are also side stories and fairy tales of all kinds from Chinese ghost stories to a lesson by Li Fu-yen which added a savor to the book. Anyone who read China Men would view life different than before.

I recommend China Men to people who have a desire to understand Chinese culture and learn how America culture affected them. However,the book is so abstract and arbitrary that it is hard to understand. Warning, it is not an easy book to read. If you feel you are confused, read several times more. There are many amazing truths of life in China Men, which are subtle but such a waste to miss.

A fascinating jumble of memoir, fable, and reporting
In China Men, Kingston took me on a ride all over the literary landscape. In general, I thought her book was an interesting tossed salad of memoir, fable, reporting, and poetry. As a reader, it reminded me of a scrapbook of family stories, newspaper articles, heritage legends -- all assembled in one place.

Interestingly, Kingston begins the book with two distinctive chapters. Unlike the rest of the book, these two chapters are relatively homogenous, sticking with one form, voice, structure and tone throughout. The first chapter is the fable of the Land of Women. I didn?t understand this chapter until the last sentences, when it seemed as though Kingston was saying that coming to North America emasculated the Chinese men who made the journey to the Gold Mountain.

If Kingston?s main theme is that the journey to North America emasculated the Chinese Men, then from a reader?s perspective I?m not sure if the book delivers on this promise. To put a fable with a very obvious moral at the beginning of the book seems to me to set up a contract with the reader about the subject or theme of the book. Although, Kingston explores many different aspects of the Chinese experience in North America, and even starts to explore the ways that China Men were oppressed, I?m not sure she completely proves her case in my mind. I could be wrong, however.

Interestingly, the second chapter of the book is another short one, this time a nearly pure piece of memoir. Alone, this chapter seems to set up the author?s own relationship with Chinese men. By mistaking another man for her father, she seems to be saying from the beginning of the book that from her perspective Chinese men are nearly interchangeable. But interestingly, she isn?t the only one who makes the mistake. All the children in that scene mistake the strange man for their father. I like this chapter placed here because it contrasts nicely with the fable/story in the first chapter. The first chapter is told at a distance by a storyteller/narrator. The second chapter is told first person from our main narrator?s voice.

Kingston returns to this theme several more times in the book. On page 217, she remarks that one of her Uncles looks just like her father. Interestingly, Uncle Bun is also completely forgotten, erased from her sister?s memory only a few years after he leaves. Kingston often hints at how distant and interchangeable the China Men were to her and to the women of her family. At other times she explores her narrator?s perceptions that China Men have no heart, no emotions.

One of Kingston?s greatest strengths, in my opinion, is her ability to weave in all sorts of other stories into the narrative of her story -- presenting a mosaic of memoirs, possibilities, facts, essays, fables, legends, ghost stories, scenes and reporting -- that all add up to a complete picture of the lives of the China Men who came to the United States. On page 49, she starts one version of a trip to the US with, ?I think this is the journey you don?t tell me:? She then recounts the tale of the father?s arrival in the US as a stowaway. But like The French Lieutenant?s Woman, she (Kingston) also gives us another, more ordinary version of the father?s emigration. I don?t know which one is ?real? and which one is imagined and, frankly, I don?t care. The fact that some Chinese used each of these methods is credible enough to keep my disbelief suspended and keep me in the story.

An Experience To Remember...........
The China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston was a very interesting book. It contains stories of Chinese men traveling to America in the 1800's and working on the transcontinental railroads, in Sierra Nevada. The author shares a lot of details in the stories about her family traveling to America. She retold the story from a male's perspective of what hardships they've been through to get to America, in search for the Golden Mountains. A rich country that they about which is full of riches. As they reach to America what they thought was the Golden Mountains was just a land of hard labor and low paying jobs. Some of them regretted coming to America, but they couldn't go back to their country because they had no money.
Some part of the story made me feel like I could relate my family to the characters that Kingston has written about. My family immigrated to the United States in 1984. Like the characters in Kingston's book they heard about the Golden Mountains that's why they came to America. All they found was low paying jobs which are similar to the characters in Kingston's book. Is this really what they thought of as the Golden Mountains? It was for sure not what they had thought of. Like many Chinese family my parents thought that the Golden Mountain was really a place to find gold, but all they found was their own blood, sweat, and tears that they shed of all the hard work that they did.
This book is also very educating because in one of the chapters, Kingston listed a list of laws that were set against Chinese in the 1800's. It gives the reader more information of what the Chinese immigrants had went through to come to America and to work for the country. Overall, this book is very good and very detailed. I strongly recommended this book, if you're interested in learning more about the experiences of Chinese men traveling to America and their stories. This is also one of the best book that I've read.

Must Read for all serious readers
This is an amazing book, wrought with heartwrenching love and pain over the wiping out of Chinese Americans in American history. I disagree with people who say it can be confusing for a non-Chinese reader, because it is certainly accessible. The plot is made up of several stories from different eras of history, along with beautifully narrated myths that are symbolic of America's inhospitability. It made me reaccess my understanding of an America that is not covered in textbooks and really to see how it feels to not feel at home in one's own country. ... Read more

Book Description

A journey back in time: this is the gripping tale of four generations of Chinese women who live and die under the restrictions of their culture. Except for one: the author. Read her story of growing up in Hong Kong and her transition to New York City where she struggled to meld the American dream with her ethnic background. Finally, at age 50, she dares to move into the present and understand the true nature of dreams and what it means to live. A deeply inspiring tale of a woman claiming her power. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wonderful Book
After personally meeting the author at a family gathering, I was inspired to purchase the book. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. The story was amazing and just unfolded before your eyes. The descriptions of the scenery, the characters and such were so vivid and clear that you could easily put yourself in the scene and experience what they characters were experiencing. This book really opened my eyes up to the Chinese culture and gaining a better understanding and insight into the old times and new times of the Chinese culture.
This was very well written and I just finished it last night. The book cover was wonderful, very beautiful. Irene and David did a wonderful job and look forward to hearing more reviews about this wonderful book.

Dive into another reality!
To read the Golden Mountain is to be immersed in the Chinese culture, as seen through women's experience over a span of four generations. One feels the limitations, the consequences that follow from accepting spoken and unspoken traditions, and how this carries forward into the present. Though the outlook was bleak, the author has taken me with her on a journey, armed with an indomitable will, a sense of spirit and inner truth, to freedom.
I found this book fascinating on many levels.

Not just for women...
Although it may seem the Golden Mountain is a "woman's book", I found it inspiring from a man's point of view. In its essense the book is about finding the courage to speak the truth to yourself and to the world about yourself, about your life. There was no sugar coating of even the most intimate details of her relationships. This to me is the greatest expression moral courage. The book is an antidote to denial. Its honesty is sometimes breathtaking.

I was also inspire by the radical transformation she underwent as a person. Her first forty odd years were spent in some way under someone elses control -- her mother, the men in her life, the expectations of her chinese heritage. She clear connected with a resevoir of strength and will deep within her that said she had a choice between freedom and suffocation. She chose freedom.

An very powerful book!
I was deeply moved by Irene's story. I felt so touched by each woman's life and their struggle with the cultural confines of their time. But Irene, finding her way through the maze of both the Chinese and American culturals, and the oppressive personal relationships, is a woman of strength and courage! Her truth and passion ultimately trimuph! ... Read more

Book Description

Wen Ho Lee, a patriotic American scientist born in Taiwan, had devoted almost his entire life to science and to helping improve U.S. defense capabilities. He loved his job at Los Alamos National Laboratory and spent his leisure time fishing, cooking, gardening, and with his family. Then, suddenly, everything changed and he found himself in the spotlight, accused of espionage by members of Congress and the national media and portrayed as the most dangerous traitor since the Rosenbergs. He was even told that their fate -- execution -- might well be his own.

Although Dr. Lee was horrified by these words, he knew he was innocent and believed that this was all a big mistake that would be cleared up quickly. But in December 1999, his worst fears were confirmed when he was manacled, shackled, brought to jail, and put in a tiny, solitary-confinement cell, where he would remain for the next nine months. His arrest sparked controversy throughout the country; it triggered concern for national security, debate about racial profiling and media distortion, and outrage over a return to McCarthy-era paranoia. Throughout the ordeal, Dr. Lee steadfastly maintained his innocence. Now, at last, he is free to tell his story.

In this compelling narrative, Dr. Lee chronicles his experience before, during, and after his imprisonment. He takes readers inside Los Alamos and discusses how violations of national security occur in many government agencies. He describes how the FBI infiltrated his private life -- lying to him and spying on him for nearly two decades. He relates his own anti-Communist stance, the result of tragic events from his past, and tells how he assisted the FBI to help protect nuclear secrets. He explains the role that the New York Times and unsourced "leaks" played in the country's rush to judgment. He details his harsh treatment in jail and how citizens can be incarcerated solely on government allegations and without factual justification. Finally, Dr. Lee accounts for why he downloaded codes, demonstrating once and for all that he is innocent of every charge leveled against him except for one, a security violation that many others had committed.

A riveting story about prejudice, fear, suspicion -- and courage -- My Country Versus Me offers a revelatory first-hand account of one of the major abuses of our government's power in our time. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

We the People...
I was anxious to read this book. Here my government, meant to serve and protect me, was using the very laws to do that to punish someone because he fit a racial-profiling matrix. I am not denying Dr Lee committed a security infraction, but other government officials have committed worse errors without punishment. I am floored (but not surprised) by the outrageous actions of our so called protectors. From the FBI to the White House, powers were completely, if not illegally, misused. This was nothing more than a present day witch hunt. Unfortunately, Dr. Lee was the supposed "witch." As I am in the computer industry, I completely understand Dr Lee's purpose of making backups and backups of your backups. The way the FBI, congressman, senators and others twisted the facts in this case should make every American concerned.

A security witch-hunt and morally bankrupt administration.
This is an excellent book. Anyone that complains the FBI and DOE were unable to convict Dr. Lee because they botched the investigation never worked in the military defense industry. This was clearly a witch-hunt based upon the FBI's and DOE's need to scapegoat someone for leaks to Mainland China. Who better than a CHINESE American. Never mind he was from Taiwan.
Often, engineers and scientists that work in secure facilities are found to have copied secret documents or downloaded secret or confidential information for the sole purpose of trying to get their work done quickly and efficiently. Is it right? No. Is it misguided? Yes. Should they get in trouble? Yes. Does it usually result in jail time and charges of treason? No.
The Clinton administration needed to plug the security breach to the Chinese. They were embarrassed by the disclosure China had our secrets. Once they knew they had the wrong guy did they intervene? No, they couldn't. Politically they had been hurt by previous links of campaign funding from China. They couldn't be seen attempting to protect a Chinese "traitor" or even appear to go soft on him.
By allowing the witch-hunt to go on, the administration permitted an innocent man to go to jail. This is not unusual for the Clinton White House. They didn't just slaughter sacrificial lambs during their tenure; they dined on them with relish and the occasional fava bean.
What makes it worse is - I helped vote them in.
This is one situation where George Bush Senior would not have allowed the travesty to continue. As an ex-CIA man, he would have known this was bull____ at the outset and would have concentrated on finding the real source of the leaks.
Read this book and you will question governmental authority and news reporting. For this reason alone, it should be required reading in high school history curriculum.

Horror non-fiction
The story told in this book is as scary as a horror fiction, except it really happened ! Dr Lee's advice at the end of the book was absolutely correct - if the FBI comes knocking, call the lawyer before you talk.

Seven months in solitary confinement
Frightening! There's no better word to describe what happened to Wen Ho Lee. Clearly, this is a case of racial profiling, but the Chinese--and Asian--community can now relax. The new enemies are Middle-Easterners, with hundreds now imprisoned in Guantanamo. And, one day we'll be reading yet another book by the Moslem prison chaplain who has just recently been arrested and held incommunicado for---who knows what? Under our present system of "justice," what happened to Wen Ho could happen to anyone. If you don't believe it, read this book. It's truly an eye opener.

National Security degrades into a racial profiling witchhunt
Wen Ho Lee's book covers some things missing in
Dan Stober and Ian Hoffman's "A Convenient Spy"
book. Lee's book covers the fact that when Lee
was working on his computer programs they were
not considered classified/secret but PARD, protect
as restricted data(p.118-119,262-263). Stober and
Hoffman always referrs to the programs as classified
or secret and fails to state that said the programs
were reclassified as "Restricted Data" and "Secret"
ONLY AFTER Lee was fired from his job. Lee defends
his motives to backup his data files in this book
(p.118-124). Lee also gives the reader an idea
of the politics inside the National Labs that
Stober and Hoffman totally misses. It appears
from Lee's account that he may have earned the
ill will of some scientist at the Lab for previously
criticizing the lab's "crown jewels." ( p.112-114,
228-229,271-273) Lee sometime for the sake of respecting
peoples personal lives refuses to provide any details,

e.g. Stober and Hoffman's book does details U.S
Prosecutor Gorence's personal affair/contact that
forces him to step down but Lee/Zia avoided providing
an explanation (p.279). Lee's book provides
transcripts of his interrogations and gives a
better overall view of the political movement
surrounding his case than the Stober and Hoffman book.
( p. 139-144,153-157). Stober and Hoffman's book is
more myopic and lacks the political background
setting that shows how race, politics, national security,
and law enforcement merged into a racial
profiling witch hunt. Wen Ho Lee's account is
based on what he considers important and sometims
that isnot always chronological, e.g. his account of
the plea bargining process only comes as the
very end of the book when it becomes important
to understand how the case ends (p.311-312)

Part I
the investigation, Tiger Trap, carol covert, FBI interrogation/accusations.

Part II
Wen Ho Lee's life and career, getting legal help, the FBI searches Lee's home, getting bad press - the media leaks,
anti-china/chinese espionage politics, the FBI dragnet -family members subpoenaed. going on CBS '60 minutes.' Getting arrested

Part III
denial of Bail. difficult/special imprisonment situation, the court case, CIPA (p.263-264,286-287), Alberta, Racial profiling
testimony by Robert Vrooman and Charles Washington. Trial guilty plead bargining. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

An excellent re-telling of events
Much like Carma Hinton's documentary "The Gate of Heavenly Peace" and UNLIKE other - mostly Western - accounts, this is a complex story with breathtaking depth that portrays the events of the movement more vividly than a battle of good versus evil or democracy versus tyranny. Reading this defintely gives you a sense as to how disjointed and unorganized the student movement actually was, and yet at the same time Shen Tong provides a startlingly personal account; for me the relationship between father and son, amidst all the chaos, remains the center and focus of this amazing book. I recently re-read this and then read The Tiananmen Papers immediately afterwards. The competing perspectives offered by both books towards the same event provides an excellent base of understanding of this truly tragic and horrifying episode.

History from a personal POV
Too many history books deal in dry facts. This book tells the story of China and what led up to the Tiananmen Square massacre from the point of view of one young student who was pulled, sometimes against his will, into the thick of the political arena. I found it fascinating!

A students account of the events leading up to June 1989
I found this book very informative about the events leading up to the Tiananmen Square occupation by the students and workers in June of 1989. Since traveling for one month in China this past year, I have been reading alot of personal accounts on China by people who have escaped or left the country. This was a nice change; a book speaking of the efforts by the citizens to change the way things are there and by peaceful means. This book really makes one appreciate the freedoms and democracy that we take for granted in this country. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Mo-no juk sum Makes Good, Eloquently
In anticipation of the lunar new year, I picked up this book. The author had me under his spell by the second page. In his memoir of growing up in the 1940's, as the son of Chinese immigrants in Vancouver's Chinatown, the reader learns that Mr. Choy, while on a promotional book tour in 1995, received a call from a woman who says that she just saw his mother. But his Toisanese mother died nearly two decades earlier, he tells the mysterious caller. No, the caller replies, she means his 'real mother.' And so the memoir and the mystery begin. In descriptive language that is hypnotic and nearly as haunting as a ghost filled home his family lived in, an extremely detailed portrait of his life as a young boy is drawn. In Part 1, his pre-school years are filled with family, Chinglish, mah-jong, lots of single "uncles" to take him for ice cream, nightly Chinese operas (his mother's version are a permanent barrier against pessimism), cowboy films, and his assertively willful tantrums. In Part 2, the author writes of his school years, English and Chinese lessons, stubbornness, truancy, confusion, helplessness, his pet dog, the humiliations his father endured at work, and the other concerns of children. In the last third of the book, Mr. Choy returns as an adult to the mystery of his and explores the hidden secrets of his family. Upon close reading, one learns about the stress of living as an Asian in North America during the War, a time when burials were only allowed in Asian-only cemeteries, when sick Asians were housed in the basement of the hospital, when Asians were offered payments to return to Asia if they promised never to return, and when men were not allowed to bring their families or wives over to the Gold Mountain from across the Pacific. On even closer reading, one can discern how different Chinese identities were crafted in North America by his grandfather, his parents, and finally himself in an in-between'ness third generation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The history of Zen can be almost as perplexing as its cryptic koan. In many accounts of Zen history, it is hard to tell who is Chinese and who is Japanese, who lived in the 6th century and who in the 16th. Andy Ferguson attempts to clear the air once and for all. In Zen's ChineseHeritage, he organizes all of the Chinese Zen masters from Bodhidharma atthe turn of the 5th century to Huikai in the 13th century, presenting their corerecords and writings in chronological order by generation--25 generations inall. Drawing from Wudeng Huiyan (Compendium of Five Lamps) andother records, Ferguson translates the classic Zen teachings (includingdialogues, anecdotes, and koan) in spare, straightforward language. He alsopresents an expertly arranged foldout lineage chart of the Zen ancestors, withcross-referencing by Japanese, Chinese pinyin, and Chinese Wade-Gilestranscriptions. Ferguson's work is not only a priceless treasury of Zenliterature but also a road map to the history of Zen. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Book Description

A beautiful young nun with skin as smooth as silk and a face as lovely as a spring flower silently cooked and cleaned all day at Gan Ye Buddhist Temple. Every evening she joined the other nuns in chanting sutras.

Who would believe that this delicate young nun was destined to become Emperor of China - the only female emperor in more than 5,000 years of Chinese history.

Wu Ze Tian held power for almost half a century during the Tang Dynasty (618- 907 AD), a period of prospertiy and cultural achievement in China. ... Read more