The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices

Liberar el sufrimiento del yugo del silencio fue el reto que se planteo la periodista Xinran Xue cuando en su programa de radio "Palabras en la brisa nocturna", invito a las mujeres chinas a llamar para explicar que esperaban de la vida, si creian en la felicidad y si habian tenido ocasion de experimentarla. El resultado es un fresco vivo y emocionante que resume el drama de ser mujer en china. -- from book's dustjacket

Riveting anecdotes from ordinary women in China who usually go unheard or supressed in the public forum and unnoticed in history. Their experiences are all the more shocking because they're not intended to be--the pain, waste, sadness and sacrifice in their lives underscore the turmoil of China's recent past and volatile present. For students of China, and anyone visiting or doing business with China, as well as for avid readers of all persuasions, READ THIS BOOK NOW, and keep a watchful eye on developments in China. I had frankly decided to read no more of the 'my-family-suffered-in-China-and-I-survived' books (of which there are so many excellent ones), but when I heard Xinran in a TV interview describe how she came to write this book, I became curious. When I started reading it, I couldn't put it down except to dry my tears. I would also recommend: Kristof and Wudunn's CHINA WAKES; Anchee Min's RED AZALEA; Adeline Yen Mah's FALLING LEAVES; Jung Chang's WILD SWANS; Mo Yan's RED SORGHUM; Dai Sijie's BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS; and anything by Ha Jin.

"The Good Women of China" is undoubtedly an invaluable source for scholars of women's history and modern China. But to reduce it to a mere document would be to miss its greatest achievements. Xinran Xue is the rare nonfiction writer whose literary gifts make her work of interest far beyond her specific subject matter. On its face, the book is a description of the terrible hardships endured by women in China over the last 50 years. But it is also a study of a universal theme: how do different people respond to adversity? Some of the women described, such as the earthquake survivors who begin group homes for the surviving children, are heroic almost beyond our understanding. Others are tragic heroines, such as the "woman who kept a fly for a pet", who defy their abusers even at the price of self-destruction. Others respond pathetically, refusing easy opportunities to leave abusive situations. Most disturbing are the young university women who choose to become, in effect, high class prostitutes, providing both sex and business service to foreigners. The author's simple, spare prose lets the stories speak for themselves. The author's refusal to reduce her subject to a simple morality tale adds immeasurably to its power. I cannot recommend this book too highly.

This startling collection of stories offers a remarkable insight into the lives of women in the country that threatens to become the most powerful in the world in the 21st century. Communism promised equality for all in China, but like all political systems it is no match for traditions and customs that have lasted for thousands of years. These stories painfully explore what happens when the modern and the traditional collide, crushing women in the middle.Living in a culture where revealing the most personal aspects of our lives on TV is a daily occurance, it is hard to envision how revolutionary Xinran's radio show "Words on the Night Breeze" was in China. For the first time, women had an anonymous way to tell their stories to the world, and what spilled out was heartbreaking. There were stories of true disaster, like the mothers who suffered through a devastating earthquake and watched their families swallowed up whole. But these things happen in every country. Much more disturbing to me were the stories of arranged marriages by party officials--in this nation of "comrades," a woman still has no choice but to stay with a husband who is lord and master, and treats her much as her female ancestors must have been treated long ago. Or the story of the young girl who is abused for years by her father--when her mother finds out about it she is told to put up with it to avoid angering him! Stories about the massive cruelties of the Cultural Revolution abound--I never cease being surprised and shocked at the pain this country visited on itself during the rule of Mao in the 1960's.Surely things are changing, one asks. But after reading about the university student I wasn't so sure. Women in university are the cream of the crop. But Xinran is shocked to learn that many choose what sounds like a new twist on an ancient tradition--they become "personal secretaries" to high powered businessmen, some foreigners, who need help navigating the Chinese system. They are totally cynical and businesslike, and view these relationships as a way to earn money and security. Woe to the woman who falls in love with her boss, however--she is cut off as cleanly as a concubine might have been abandoned in ancient times. This is a painful, sobering book. Progress and freedom are elusive concepts, and again and again after reading of other parts of the world, I realize how lucky Americans are that we got to "start fresh" a mere 200+ years ago. This is a wonderfully written book, well deserving of 5 stars.

Once I picked up the book and began reading, I couldn't put it down. The stories of these women who are so different, and yet so much like us, made me weep, laugh, and be astonished at their lives and history. Xinran Xue is a gifted writer who captures the poignancy of these womens' lives, whom she came to know through her radio program in China. In a time when most reporters would have left well-enough alone, she goes out into her world to interview women from all walks of life, and expresses their stories of incest, brutality, achievement, and daily survival with a simplicity that is dynamic and powerful. This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone's library.