{"id":13135,"date":"2017-04-03T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=13135"},"modified":"2017-11-07T13:27:23","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T17:27:23","slug":"book-review-shanghai-girls-lisa-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/book-review-shanghai-girls-lisa-see\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Shanghai Girls \/ Lisa See"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Shanghai Skyline from the Bund by Wilson Hul from Flickr.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

Shanghai Girls<\/em> is a 2009 novel by Lisa See. As the title suggests, the book is composed of two protagonists: a girl named Pearl and the city Shanghai. The narrator of the book is Pearl, and while she is telling the story of her and of her sister, Shanghai embodies the story of all China. Misfortune hits Pearl at the age of 21, when Shanghai is attacked by Japan in 1937. The turbulent events of Pearl\u2019s life are interwoven with the Chinese nation during the years preceding World War II. Shanghai Girls<\/em> provides a glance into Pearl\u2019s life, and more fascinating \u2013 a glance into the Chinese culture and history. Let\u2019s read into the book and learn some new words on the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u4e0a\u6d77Sh\u00e0ngh\u01cei<\/p>\n

Shanghai, the \u201cParis of Asia\u201d, has a figurative name. It consists of two characters: \u4e0ash\u00e0ng meaning \u201cabove\u201d, and \u6d77h\u01cei meaning \u201csea\u201d. Together they compose the phrase \u201bupon the sea\u2019. The city upon the sea was an interesting place to live in at the beginning of the 20th century. International attention to\u4e0a\u6d77 grew in the 19th century due to\u00a0European<\/a>\u00a0recognition of its economic and trade potential on the Yangtze river. Wars and treaties gave in\u4e0a\u6d77 to foreign trade, and citizens of many countries\u00a0came to\u4e0a\u6d77to live and work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u6708\u4efd\u724c Yu\u00e8f\u00e8np\u00e1i<\/p>\n

Pearl is only 21 years old. Her sister May is 3 years younger. The beautiful juvenile sisters enjoy the good life of \u4e0a\u6d77: they shop, they dance, they hang out with friends, and they work as models of\u6708\u4efd\u724c. \u6708\u4efd\u724cis an art genre that was prevalent in Shanghai during the early 20th century, and was very popular among the locals. \u6708\u4efd\u724care painted calendar posters that were influenced by Western advertisements. Pearl and May posed for hours, while the artist painted their beautiful figures and faces for calendar posters that advertise cigarettes, batteries and other goods.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u5b50\u5b59\u6876Z\u01d0s\u016bn t\u01d2ng<\/p>\n

Pearl’s mom (\u5988\u5988m\u0101m\u0101) has bound feet that restrict her walking. They had been bound to find her a wealthy match. But it’s 1937 now, and unlike their \u5988\u5988, Pearl and May’s feet aren’t bound. Moreover, the girls dare to dream about love and marriage. Pearl fantasizes about wedding with the artist she works for. In her imagination it’s a big party, including all the Chinese customs. \u5b50\u5b59\u6876, for example, literally means \u201bbuckets of off-springs\u2019. It’s a three-part dowry: a bucket, a basin to wash one’s feet and a small barrel as toilet. In the past, it wasn’t only useful for daily use, but also a way to bless the new couple with future generations. When delivered, it was usually filled with dates, eggs, fruits etc, to wish the couple fortune, longevity, and lots of boys and grandsons. Hence the name: \u5b50z\u01d0 means son; \u5b59s\u016bn means grandson; \u6876t\u01d2ng means bucket. Nowadays more and more Chinese houses have inside toilets and showers so\u5b50\u5b59\u6876 is less needed, but still acceptable as decoration and blessing. You can buy it online, with prices ranging from 40 Yuan to 1600 Yuan: http:\/\/www.crmrj.net\/crmrtedentn\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u503a\u52a1Zh\u00e0iw\u00f9<\/p>\n

Pearl’s dream is shattered to pieces when her father loses everything they possess in gambling. To pay his \u503a\u52a1 (debt) he had to give his daughters as wives to two Chinese-American brothers (\u5144\u5f1fXi\u014dngd\u00ec). The wedding ceremony is short and simple: signing papers at the courthouse, followed by dinner. There’s no\u5b50\u5b59\u6876 and no joy. The \u5144\u5f1f and their new wives are due to return to America (\u7f8e\u56fdM\u011bigu\u00f3) in couple of weeks, but Pearl decides not to show up on board. A month after, she is terrified to realize that the Green Gang \u2013 a Chinese criminal organization<\/a>, active in\u00a0\u4e0a\u6d77\u00a0during the early to mid 20th century \u2013 is involved. The Green Gang was hired to make sure Pearl’s father will pay his \u503a\u52a1 as agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u59d0\u59d0Ji\u011bji\u011b<\/p>\n

According to the Five Cardinal Relations of Confucius (\u5b54\u5b50K\u01d2ngz\u01d0), the younger sister\u59b9\u59b9 (m\u00e8imei) has to obey the older sister \u59d0\u59d0 (ji\u011bji\u011b), while the older sister has to take care of the younger sister. And so Pearl does, from the beginning of the novel till the end. Pearl always bears May in her thoughts, always looks after her: when they got wounded from the bombings during the Battle of Shanghai; when they run away from \u4e0a\u6d77; fleeing from the Green Gang and the Second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u7f8e\u56fdM\u011bigu\u00f3<\/p>\n

After surviving their perilous journey from \u4e0a\u6d77, the girls finally obtain tickets to\u7f8e\u56fd. At November (\u5341\u4e00\u6708sh\u00edy\u012b yu\u00e8) the girls arrived to San Francisco bay, and led to Angel Island Immigration Station. There they are waiting to enter the Flower Flag Country (\u82b1\u65d7\u56fdHu\u0101q\u00ed gu\u00f3) \u2013 a Chinese epithet to America that was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Another nickname the Chinese gave to America, which appears in the book a lot, is Gold Mountain (\u91d1\u5c71J\u012bnsh\u0101n). This name is more specific, indicating western North America, due to the gold found there.<\/p>\n

If you think Pearl and May found peace in San Francisco, you should think again. Their struggles continue through life in America. But I will let you read their intriguing story in \u7f8e\u56fdon your own. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Ayana<\/p><\/div>\n

Text vocabulary<\/u><\/p>\n

\u4e0a\u6d77Sh\u00e0ngh\u01cei = Shanghai<\/p>\n

\u6708\u4efd\u724c Yu\u00e8f\u00e8np\u00e1i = painted calendar posters<\/p>\n

\u5b50\u5b59\u6876Z\u01d0s\u016bn t\u01d2ng = a traditional dowry<\/p>\n

\u5988\u5988M\u0101m\u0101 = mother, mom<\/p>\n

\u503a\u52a1Zh\u00e0iw\u00f9 = debt<\/p>\n

\u5144\u5f1fXi\u014dngd\u00ec = brothers<\/p>\n

\u7f8e\u56fdM\u011bigu\u00f3 = America<\/p>\n

\u5b54\u5b50K\u01d2ngz\u01d0 = Confucius<\/p>\n

\u59d0\u59d0Ji\u011bji\u011b = old sister<\/p>\n

\u59b9\u59b9M\u00e8imei = young sister<\/p>\n

\u5341\u4e00\u6708Sh\u00edy\u012b yu\u00e8 = November<\/p>\n

\u82b1\u65d7\u56fdHu\u0101q\u00ed gu\u00f3 = the flower flag country<\/p>\n

\u91d1\u5c71J\u012bnsh\u0101n = Gold Mountain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Shanghai Girls is a 2009 novel by Lisa See. As the title suggests, the book is composed of two protagonists: a girl named Pearl and the city Shanghai. The narrator of the book is Pearl, and while she is telling the story of her and of her sister, Shanghai embodies the story of all China…<\/p>\n

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