Bound Feet & Western Dress

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Summary: Book Review
Review: "Bound Feet & Western Dress" is about the life of a Chinese woman, Yu-i, and how she struggles to follow Western culture and modernise herself while still adhering to the Chinese custom of respect and submission. Yu-i was born "in changing times" in China, so she made it her personal goal to be the first female in her family to break the cultural norms like foot-binding and women not being allowed to have an education. It covers many events, from Chinese foot binding and weddings, to the first divorce of China and how Chinese women are expected to wholly defer to their family's and husband's expectations. It is wonderful how the author blended historic and modern events into one story, and showed how difficult it is for one person to make such a leap between the times. Many of the events and issues in the book paved the way for today's modern society. This book would definately appeal to readers interested in history or different cultures.

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Summary: a strong modern Chinese woman
Review: As the story progresses, I was taken to every scenery that Yu-i had been. I felt the pain when she lost Peter in Germany, I felt angry for her toward Lu Xiaman. In Hsu Chih -mo's eyes, Yu-i is a "country pumpkin", he asked the divorce to set both of them free. Yu-i did get her freedom from the divorce, what happened to her made her a strong woman. However, I don't think that Hsu Chih-mo was freed by the divorce. His marriage with Lu Xiaman was another prison for him, he even devoted his life to this marriage, prisoned himself as a slave of their marriage. I admire Yu-i's strength toward the crucial life, I respect her dignity and faith to the tradition. Even Hsu Chih-mo thought that she was a "pumpkin".I think what she had inside her was even greater than those "well learned women" that her ex-husband loved. To me, she is indeed a strong modern Chinese woman. By the way, I really like the author's writing style, I'm looking forward to read another book of her.

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Summary: A good book, because it is a true story.
Review: I enjoyed the auuthor's simple writing style. The story is about a woman who decides whether or not to make her own life, or allow it to be decided for her. The best thing about this book, is that it is a true story. The book was fast reading, and very inspirational. I would reccommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A good book, because it is a true story.
Review: I enjoyed the auuthor's simple writing style. The story is about a woman who decides whether or not to make her own life, or allow it to be decided for her. The best thing about this book, is that it is a true story. The book was fast reading, and very inspirational. I would reccommend it.

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Summary: An excellent biography
Review: I learned about what it was like to be born a woman in China at the turn of the twentieth century when I was at high school. However, this book provides much in-depth information about the old Chinese customs-especially the role of Chinese women at the turn of the century. This book is filled with conflicts of traditional Chinese values vs. Western values. I admire Chang Yuyi's courage to tell her own story to her great-niece, Pang-Mei who took the time to write the story. Hsu Chi-Mo (Yu-i's ex-husband) was one of my famous writers since I was at junior high school. I read all poems, collected works, letters, essays, and diaries, etc. I was so fond of his romance with Luk Siu-Man. I learned that he had a "trouble marriage," however, it is the first time I am able to read about the other side of his life through his ex-wife, Chang Yu-i. Through this book Yu-I unveiled the "dark-side" of a famous scholar to the whole world. It is a great book. I enjoyed it very much.

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Summary: Without Pang Mei's story intertwined I would have given it 5
Review: I love Chang Yu-I's story, it was fascinating & well written, but I found the the authors' story bored me to tears. Yes it was nice to have the author establish the relationship between the the tale of a young Chinese woman in the early part of the century and beyond, and her niece born and raised in America, but Pang-Mei/Natasha Chang's perspective was far too centered on her insecurities growing up as a first generation Chinese woman in a family of immigrants. Why not take a cue from her ancestors and be pleased with not only who he or she was as an individual, but of the family that they came from as well. Her obsession too with her parents accomplishments and her graduation from Harvard made me think that the author veers between self loathing and an inflated self worth. Had she not inserted herself into the story except as narrator, I believe that this would have been a better book. My message to Pang-Mei Natasha Chang is get over the petty childhood teasing and get on with your life--I'm sure your chief tormentor Douglas sure has.

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Summary: Powerful story of old and new
Review: This is an incredibly powerful story of one woman's struggle in China. Yu-i, the daughter of a distinguished family, was born at the turn of the century in China. "In China, a woman is nothing." So the story begins. Growing up between the fall of the last emperor and the Communist Revolution, Yu-i, like all other Chinese girls, was expected to have her feet bound. This was the beginning of Yu-i's life of rebellion. At the age of three, her strong protests cut the process of binding short. Later after her husband abandoned her, Yu-i continued her education while raising her son alone. She eventually became president of China's first women's bank. She remained loyal to her ex-husband's family as she continued to care for his parents, his second wife and her lover after her ex-husband passed away. Yu-i was certainly a woman ahead of her time.Pang-Mei Natasha Chang's book, BOUND FEET & WESTERN DRESS explores the difficulty she has accepting her great-aunt's adherence to traditions that bound her to years of suffering in silence. After spending lots of time with Yu-i, Pang-Mei learned to appreciate what Yu-i had survived and accomplished. Pang-Mei saw in Yu-i aspects of her own personal struggles of the constant tug between familial duty and individual desire. This is truly a remarkable story of two women born in different eras, faced with many of the same concerns.I highly recommend this book

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Summary: confusion abound
Review: This is another generic book about generation gaps and Asian-American women. The book is also constrained by the fact that it's a memoir because there are too many names and irrelevant information. The prose is too flowery and the shift between the two narratives is confusing. There are far more superior and original storytelling in Samantha Lan Chang and Ha Jin's stories.

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Summary: Why Am I Famous
Review: This woman Natasha is suffering from the WAIF (why am I famous) syndrome. She has accomplshed nothing beside a stupid degree from Harvard (her family is loaded obviously. Her grandfather and father, chinese, went to Japan after the war. Why? Where did their money come from? Any patriotic chinese would not go to Japan after the war. They must be special.) So, she dragged up this great aunt who had been married to a poet for a few years. This great aunt has done nothing except what most good chinese women of her generation would do----swallowed bitterness, did her duty etc--- I was a child in Hong Kong when I heard about the letter Yu-I's son wrote about her proposed re-marriage. Everybody said her son was brilliant and a loving son. Yu-I herself never complained. I left Hong Kong after she emigrated so I know.

This Natasha went on endlessly about her 'suffering.' Poor thing, if chinese waiter speak to her in chinese , she would have a fit. Likewise the other way round. She did not have the grace to talk properly to a chinese ex-change student thousands of miles away from home (chinese people are not a novelty to her, she said.) She complained about chinese people with bad teeth and bad English, unlikely her posh family. Well, from what I can see from the photo, her whole family is preety ugly. What is more, they are self-centred, full of self-importance, selfish, and stupid. What with her father talking about producing 'pure chinese children.' Of course, Natasha herself will never marry a chinese. This is the real her. Trying to glamorize herself by some digging of past 'romance and glory.' She does not give two figs about the suffering of the chinese people in China like the aids village or millions of child workers working in desperate condition. She is so stupid that she mentioned Yu-I's war profiteering (buying dye used for army uniform and holding it back until the price had increased a hundred fold.) I am so sick I can puke.

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Summary: Get a Life
Review: This woman Natasha is the most irritating thing I have come across in a long time. Her own life is so stupid and boring, but she insists us to know how a million years ago she was called chinky and whatnot. She brags about her family (evidently a family ritual) endlessly. From what I can see, her family is stupid, selfish (war profiteering by Yu-Yi if you ask me), boring. Yu Yi has accomplished nothing neither. She went through what most chinese women went through in terms of humuliation, abuse, etc. But she had enough to eat and did nothing to help poor people. I am chinese myself. I am just sick of Natasha's story. To give credit to Yu Yi , she never whined before this was dragged out of her.