Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco

Rating:
Summary: Educational AND Fun!
Review: At first the size of the book was a bit daunting, but I found myself sucked into the lives of the Chinese women as they navigated through American society. I also appreciated Ms. Yung's use of her own family to weave the history of Chinese women in America. I look forward to checking out Unbound Voices as well.

Rating:
Summary: History of Chinese American women
Review: Judy Yung traces the social history of Chinese American women from 19th century to post World War II, how events and circumstances shape the women to be who they are today. She talks about the changing roles that these women played, from 19th century, when women played limited roles in society, how they were still influenced by traditional Chinese values to post war where they participated in the war effort, gained independence and had an active role in the society.

The main theme of this book is the discrimination they faced being Chinese and women. It is astounding to see how far they have come, from the days when Chinese school children were being called "Chinks" and were excluded from the mainstream society because of their gender and race.

This book would definitely appeal to those who come from minority communities and to those who are interested in ethnic, women or immigration history. I definitely recommend this book as it deals with issues that have so far been ignored in our textbooks, but definitely played a major role in shaping our society today.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive Addition to Chinese American Woman's History
Review: Through Unbound Feet, Judy Yung explores the history of Chinese American women in San Francisco from the turn of the century to the Second World War using the Chinese custom of footbinding and the gradual steps away from this tradition as an outline for her narrative. She traces the growth and changes of women through their immigration, experiences and lives in America. By the completion of the book, Yung has concluded that the experiences of Chinese women "have been as much in response to economic, social, and political developments in China as in the United States" (5).

Moving through history from "bound feet" to "in step," Chinese American women gained a new sense of independence not before known to Chinese women. Yung attributes the many changes these women underwent to Christianity, Chinese nationalism, and acculturation to American culture. With bound feet, women were not able to exercise of control over their lives. They lived their lives in seclusion; unable to walk away from the restrictions placed on Chinese women. Yung asserts that by the time of World War II, women had not only managed to walk away, but they had also managed to establish a new way of life that was acceptable for Chinese women. Yung claims that this role more accurately reflected the lives and roles of American women, rather than the traditional role ascribed to women in the Chinese nation.

Yung, perhaps inadvertently, shows how Chinese women used the American culture to further expand their roles within their own culture. The scenario presented by Yung is, once in America, Chinese women were introduced to the applied gender roles of women in a different country. In America, women may not have enjoyed anything close to equal rights, but they were allotted many more rights than women in China. Considering women in China were praised for ignorance, the differences between the cultures is not hard to imagine. However, Chinese women were patriotic to their country, as Yung proves, and while they were assimilating many aspects of American culture, they also held onto much of the culture from their home country. Yung shows how in America, Chinese women adopted certain aspects of American culture without fully accepting it and retaining many traditional gender roles.

Yung uses firsthand sources for examples such as letters, newspapers, interviews, and government data. The writer herself admits that this information she presents is more biased toward "experiences of educated, middle-class women" (9). Therefore, her study cannot fully represent the history of Chinese American women, but being one of the few investigations on the subject, it does provide important knowledge not otherwise presented. Obviously Yung's study of San Francisco women is not a fair representation of all Chinese women. Yung explains her decision to concentrate on this city because "it has served as the port of entry for most Chinese immigrants throughout their history" (8).

Being a second-generation Chinese American woman, it is possible that Yung uses Unbound Feet as an attempt to somewhat glorify the history of Chinese American women. Undoubtedly Yung provides an accurate description, but is it possible that the purpose of her narrative is not to merely provide a history, but also to provide an impressive history? Many aspects of Unbound Feet, after all, depict her own personal family history, providing stories of earlier women in her family. It is understandable for Yung to want to invoke honor in her heritage and culture.

Yung presents a historical explanation to the present culture of Chinese American women. With her many examples, Yung follows Chinese American women through five decades of history. Throughout this time, numerous changes occurred in these women. Speaking from a personal viewpoint, Yung concludes, "Consciously aware of how race, class, and gender intersect our lives, we follow in our mothers' footsteps, doing what we can to improve the overall quality of life for ourselves, for our children, and for all" (292). From this conclusion, Yung asserts her belief that modern Chinese American women must learn from the women who came before them.