The Jade of Peony
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PART ONE
The book is narrated by a little girl named Jook-Liang (or just Liang). You are introduced to her and her family who live in Vancouver B.C. during the Great Depression. She lives in a rundown house with her father; her real mom (who shes made to call Stepmother); the “old one”, the childrens grandmother– Poh-Poh; and 3 brothers. The oldest Kiam; second oldest– an orphan the family adopted Jung-Sum; and then would be Liang; and then the youngest child Sek-Lung (or Sekky).
One day an old man comes to join the family for supper– he new Poh-Poh from Old China the man is odd looking and Liang thinks him to be “the Monkey Man” from the ghost stories her grams is always telling. Regardless Liang and this man she comes to call Wong-Suk become great friends. They go to the movies together and get jeered at (Im not sure if this is beacause Beauty and the Beast or because they are Chinese); he tells her stories; and she dances for him.
Liangs main interests consist of movies, stories, tap-dancing, and imitating Shirley Temple. Wong-Suk buys her expensive, beautiful ribbon one day for her second hand tap shoes and Poh-Poh helps her tie them into fancy flowers. — This is where we learn a bunch about Poh-Pohs childhood. She was born in China and so it was already too bad that she had be born a girl child. But further more she was sort of disfigured. Her forehead was sloppy and mis-shapen and immediately everyone told her mother she was the ugliest baby ever. Her mother sold her to a wealthy family; where she was a servant. The concubine would beat her and their other servants with a rod– as if they were oxen. Poh-Poh had to learn to do things quickly and flawlessly or she would be beaten. Her fingers would bleed because she was practicing tying these intricet(abc?) patterns. She of course grew out of her deformity and was quite a pretty lady.
She even married at one point, a man from a circus– but one day he just never came back. Anyways, Poh-Poh is always telling Liang that she is a useless girlchild.
Now, so Liang got all dressed up and waited and waited for Wong-Suk to come and he finally did, but not to see her dance. The family all got ready and drove him to the harbour where he boarded a boat taking old bones of Chinafolk back to Old China he sailed away from his bandit princess (Liang) and she never saw her Prince again.
PART TWO
is told by Jung-Sum. He was abused by his family and at one point his father killed his mother—- Jung doesnt remember this but this is where a neighbor took him and brought him to the Tong Association where he was put with his new family– Liang and everybody.
Jung is a somewhat angry child (I think this stems from the abuse he suffered from and witnessed as a young boy). He gets involved with boxing at a local gym and one day gets in a fight with his mentor and just wont give up— this is probably because he can now stand up for himself things get carried away but in the end they are both okay.
—- Im sure a lot more happens in this part but none of it stands out to me at this point—-
There is a lot done in Pt.2 to setup the era in which the story takes place. His father works for a news reel and is always writing that the Chinese in Chinatown need to stick together and help each other; after all, if they dont… no one else will. Allot of this has to do with discrimination the Chinese-Canadians faced back then– what with the Chinese Exclusion Act and all that was passed.
The soup kitchens cannot handle the hordes of starving people who are lined up. And the few churches that serve Chinatown are running out of clothes and food and stuff… theres not enough to go around.
Bachelor-men stay in overcrowded rundown huts where they sleep on floors and cots next to dead men until morning comes and the nuns come take the corpses away.
Jungs house is peeling paint, constantly cold, and the walls are stuffed with old newspaper. It is called a China man special.
By the end of Part 2 Jung realizes that he is attracted to men; that he is gay. This is why he always felt different…
PART THREE
is narrated by the youngest Sek-Lung. Sekky along with Liang are stepmothers biological children. As we know, Jung was adopted; and the oldest boy, brother Kiam was born in Old China to Fathers first wife.
Since birth, and for years Sek-Lung was a sickly boy. He had lung problems and was constantly coughing— lucky for the family it was never positve for T.B. otherwise they would be outcast and a sign posted out front their house reading “Condemned”.
Because Sekky was so sick (and also a boy! — how magnificant! :p) he was showered attention from Poh-Poh, and lots of love. He couldnt attend school for a long time and so his brothers and sister would tutor him at home. Sekky wanted desperately to go to school.
Later on in the story, Poh-Poh passes on. And poor Sek-Lung, who loved his grandma soo much sees her ghost throughout the house. Nobody else does, and at first his father tries to dismiss the boys notions… but the family was culturally somewhat superstisious, so they send her off properlly. And Sekky never sees her again. But he starts feeling better— Poh-Poh always said one day he would be healthy enough and would get to go to school! And he does, Sekky thanks Poh-Poh for this.
At school he is admitted to a special class of immigrants. They are given special attention and lots of emphasis is placed on proper english grammar and pronunciation.
By now the war with Japan is raging, and they have attacked