Week 10 Reading Notes Part A: Jade Wong

Jade Snow Wong
1922-2006

I chose this of the two readings for tonight first because my daughter's middle name is Jade and second, I was intrigued with a more recent author. She was an author alive within my own lifetime and I wanted to learn more about her as well as read a portion of one of her writings; this one happened to be an autobiography so even better!

Jade Snow Wong was born from immigrant parents in San Francisco. Raised in Chinatown. Graduate of Mills College. Her book, "Fifth Chinese Daughter" was the first written by an Asian American female and receive national recognition (pg. 593).

She chose to work away from her family factory. Worked in 7 different homes. she received referrals and added more clientele. She named the families by category and not of family names:

• horsy family - elderly father (quiet), tense mother, 2 daughters needing to be "smart"; they took family photos in "horsy poses"
• the apartment-house family - one 3 year old daughter; center of their world;
• the political couple - middle aged. dinners in honor of young Californian political figures ; mostly men
• bridge-playing group - The Gilberts' - big, beautiful home. played bridge every Sunday, no matter what. "The girls" middle aged, 35 - 50, wore hats.

All of this was prior to her graduating high school and beginning her studies at Mills College.
Her father preached that education was the path to freedom. (pg. 596). She had to beg her father to help support her through college. He was insistent that the family's financial support would go to the men in the family first as they are who carries the family name..."she was trapped in a mesh of tradition woven thousands of miles away by ancestors who had had no knowledge that someday one generation of their own progeny might be raised in another culture."(pg. 597) However, she was conflicted by knowing she was also the person she is now because of these Chinese traditions.

Jade is able to attend Mills College through scholarships as well as working directly for the dean. She is challenged by new ways of learning and not only adapts, but thrives from it.

as a part of a course, the professor asks Jade if they may be able to tour her father's factory and compare/contrast the visit to a larger American factory. She noticed a few drastic differences:

• size (20 times larger)
• the workers did not talk amongst themselves
• it would not have satisfied the happiness of a baby
• there was no personalization or significance for the employees