A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China
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Authors: Amy Kwei
Copyright © 2013 Amy S. Kwei
All rights reserved.
US Copyright registration TXu 806-676
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without the written consent of the author. This is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to reality is coincidental.
ISBN: 0981549918
ISBN 13: 9780981549910
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9815499-2-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012940440
Tats Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Diagram — Major Characters In The Novel
Book One – A Concubine For The Family
I want to thank my two grandmothers, whose exemplary lives of virtuous living, in times of war and Diaspora, inspired this book. Thanks also to my mother’s nursemaid, the many aunts and helpers in the house who told stories while they made dumplings or sat in sewing circles. They enriched my life.
I owe my undying gratitude to my husband Tom, (who will not receive a concubine from me) for his unfailing support — technical and emotional — in all the years of preparing for this book. Many thanks go to Dalia Geffen, Sasha Geffen, Judith Neuman, Jane Rosenman, Cathy O’Connell, Sandra Chen, Marie Cantlon, Anna Fang, Sue Tatem, Zhou Xiofen, The Taconic Writers, The Tuesday Morning Writers, and the Aspen Tuesday evening writers. They offered constructive criticisms, encouragement and good fellowship. I specially appreciate the support of the Aspen Writers’ Foundation.
Thanks also to Jonathan D. Spence, whose many books on China, especially The Search for Modern China, and The Chan’s Great Continent, Edmund Clubb, Twentieth Century China, Hallett Abend’s My Life in China (1926—1941), C.P. Fitzgerald’s China—A Short Cultural History, and John King Fairbank’s The United States and China, for much of the historical background. I owe my understanding on Chinese herbs and acupuncture to my friends, relatives and Alexander Macdonald and his book Acupuncture—From Ancient Art to Modern Medicine.
Language can be a window to the mind and heart of a culture. Unfortunately, translations do not always convey a people’s zest and vibrancy. The Chinese often speak in metaphors, and their manner of expression reflects the vivid landscape of their culture. In order to retain the picturesque quality of the language, I have used many expressions literally. For instance, when a mother calls her child “my heart-and-liver,” it is clear how precious the child is to her.
For thousands of years, countries surrounding China have borrowed from Chinese culture. On a visit to Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan, one will see the finest examples of these: Chinese architecture, dwarf tree designs, bronze and porcelain ware, paintings on silk, calligraphy, origami and other features. The national costume of the Korean ladies today is in the style of fourteenth-century Chinese fashion. Whenever a meal is served in a Southeast Asian country, one will taste soy sauce, eat with chopsticks, and sample Chinese culinary touches. Cognizant of their great influence, the Chinese have fostered an ancient pride that is far more enduring than the twentieth century concepts of nationalism and patriotism. Many Chinese know that before the advent of the Westerners, they were never described as “primitive” or “underdeveloped.” In fact, for millenniums, neighboring cultures in Asia recognized the “Middle Kingdom” as the center of the civilized world.
As a result of this perceived cultural supremacy, the Chinese language reflects an aristocratic pride. A person deprived of the old culture, whether Occidental or Oriental in origin, is considered a “barbarian.” When the barbarians became terrifying, they were called “foreign devils.” The “East Ocean Devils” were the Japanese; Westerners were the “West Ocean Devils.”
Readers should keep in mind that the place of a Chinese in society is very much tied to his family. The word “individual” has connotations of selfishness and secretiveness. The word “independence” literally translates to “alone standing.” To the Chinese, “one” is an unlucky number.
Chinese do not call each other by name except when addressing children, servants and others of lesser station. Relational address delineates their position in the family clan: e.g. “jei jei” for older sister, “dee dee” for younger brother, “jeo jeo” for mother’s younger brother, “soo soo” for father’s younger brother. Relationships are specified even to the point of identifying whether they are of paternal or maternal origin. Even when two people are not related, a relational appellation is added. Therefore, Peony calls Iris, “Iris-jei.” It is also polite for husband and wife to address each other as brother and sister. Righteous Virtue calls Purple Jade, “Jade-mei.” To avoid confusion, only the appellations for brothers and sisters are used in the book.
The author, with help from her friends, translated all the Chinese poems and songs. Some relational addresses, commonly used idiomatic expressions, popular philosophies, salient historical events, names, and places referred to in the story are clarified in the glossary.
I was born a blue-hearted baby. As a sickly child, I was given the gift of reading and listening. This novel is a fictional account based upon family history. The characters and their experiences are composites, drawn from stories I have heard. They are not intended to represent real people or events.
Since most of the story is set in 1937, I have rendered the Chinese names in the Wade-Giles system familiar at the time. The Pinyin system is used only for some famous people and a few places, such as Hangzhou and Beijing that have become popular tourist attractions on recent maps.
Hangzhou, 1937
I
T WAS EIGHT in the morning. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo grove outside Purple Jade’s window like ten thousand fans waving moist air into the room.
Rain is coming
.
Purple Jade, lying on her rosewood four-poster bed, turned in the dark alcove to face the light. She waited for her personal maid.
Orchid came in carrying a basin of warm water and laid it beside her mistress’s footstool. “Morning peace,
Tai-tai
.”
“Orchid, have you eaten your morning rice?”