Wild Swans Chapter 2 Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

What period of time does Chapter 2 cover?

1933-1938

What did the letter from General Xue's wife ask for?

Yu-fang's parents should take her back.

What were the benefits that Yu-fang's father had from his connections to General Xue?

He became rich and well connected, and was promoted to deputy chief of the Yixian police.

How did Yang secure his first concubine?

<p>His immediate boss gifted him a Mongolian woman when he was promoted.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the practice of gifting a concubine reveal about society?

<p>Women were treated as mere sexual objects and possessions. They were objectified and second-class citizens.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Fang look for one more concubine?

<p>Having multiple concubines established a man's status in the society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the condition of Yu-fang's mother and sister in the family?

<p>Her mother and sister Lan were resented by her father who looked at them as a burden.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why was Yu-fang mistreated in her parents' home?

<p>Yu-fang was considered an additional burden by her father. She was also considered a jinx and ill-luck as she lost her husband early in life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did the Mongolian concubine sisters feel threatened by Yu-fang's mother?

<p>As a legal wife, she was superior to them. Moreover, she gave birth to a son, which meant all the wealth and property would go to him after Yang's death.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Through the relationships of the women in Yang's household, what is revealed about the women's world?

<p>Women were restricted to the private space of homes. Enforced monogamy for women and polygamy for men led to struggles for power within the households. Women derived their power through association and favor of the man of the house.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the methods used by the concubines to fight against Yu-fang's mother?

<p>They stepped up the psychological warfare by alienating her in her own house.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How was Yu-fang different from her mother?

<p>She was stronger than her mother. The hardships of the past decade had toughened her up. Even her father was in awe of her. She had decided to fight for herself and her mother.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why were no good proposals of marriage coming for Yu-fang?

<p>She was a concubine, and her social status was low. Moreover, only the poor men were proposing marriage, which was beneath Yang's expectation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Yu-fang want to escape?

<p>She wanted to escape the spitefulness and petty vengefulness of the concubine world which was a choice between either victimizing or being a victim.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Dr.Xia have to visit Yu-fang?

<p>Yu-fang had a nervous breakdown because of the constant pressure to marry that was built by her father.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Dr.Xia react on seeing Yu-fang the first time?

<p>He was stunned by her beauty and hurriedly backed out of the room.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Yu-fang able to do with Dr.Xia which she never did before?

<p>She was able to open up her heart and pour out her grief. She felt understood like never before.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Dr.Xia tell Yu-fang's mother?

<p>He wanted to marry Yu-fang and also bring up her daughter as his own.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe Dr.Xia's reputation.

<p>He was a well-known traditional Oriental doctor, known for his kindness as he treated the poor for free.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the implication of Dr.Xia marrying Yu-fang for his three sons and daughter?

<p>They were older than her in age, and yet they would be required to respect her and kowtow to her, according her the venerable status on par with her husband.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why were they against the marriage?

<p>Yu-fang had been a concubine, and the age gap between Dr.Xia and her was disturbing for them. Moreover, the fact that they would have to do obeisance to someone of inferior status was not agreeable to the sons.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What argument did the sons use to dissuade their father from marrying Yu-fang?

<p>They tried to evoke the ethnic differences between the two as an indirect factor for not marrying her.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did society react to the proposed marriage?

<p>They considered it irresponsible and even thought he was going senile.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Dr.Xia continue to stand by his desire to marry Yu-fang?

<p>If she was taken only as a concubine, she would lose status in society and his household, and she would be a mere slave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What method did Yu-fang use to dissuade her friend from trying to convince her?

<p>She appealed to her better instincts with a percept from the sage rather than directly saying no.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Dr.Xia lose his restraint with his older son?

<p>When all forms of appeals failed, the older son began to abuse Yu-fang and defame her, which angered Dr.Xia and he hit him with his walking stick.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did the older son shoot himself?

<p>He felt humiliated, and to regain face within the household, he shot himself. He probably had not meant to kill himself but just to make a dramatic gesture. But he died.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What Manchu custom was important in marriage to establish the woman's status?

<p>A woman could not just walk into a man's house; this would imply a severe loss of status. She had to be seen to be taken, to denote the requisite reluctance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Yu-fang expected to display as a married woman on the day of her wedding?

<p>Yu-fang had to sit on a kang, motionless and alone, for hours, facing the window observing the double happiness paper cut symbolizing the absence of restlessness that was deemed to be an essential quality for a woman.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What would the husband be doing meanwhile on a wedding day?

<p>He would be celebrating with his guests.</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which year did Yu-fang and her daughter move into Dr.Xia's comfortable home?

<p>1935</p> Signup and view all the answers

How is the pressure on Chinese men by society shown through Dr.Xia?

<p>Dr.Xia could never talk about pain or sorrow that he felt for his son's death. He could not share it with Yu-fang as Chinese men were supposed to be stoic and bear it all.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Yu-fang feel within Dr.Xia's household?

<p>She felt alienated and stifled as strict Manchurian practices were followed which did not allow her to have freedom with her husband. Neither did the other members treat her well except for paying her the required respect during the rituals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the one episode of Dr.Xia hitting Jung Chang's mother reveal?

<p>It reveals the importance of status and symbolic gestures of status that men held in esteem in Chinese society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why was Yu-fang and her daughter's time in that household ambivalent?

<p>While it was the time of real measure of freedom for the first time, it also had a degree of entrapment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Jung Chang's mother renamed as?

<p>De-hong - Hong meaning 'wild swan' and De - the generation name meaning 'virtue'. She also took on the surname of Dr.Xia.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How was De-hong treated in that house?

<p>She was bullied by all the younger members and many times physically abused. She was even pushed into a dry well which led to her having a broken hip and a permanent slight limp.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who were De-hong's friends in that house?

<p>'Big Old Lee' - Dr.Xia's coachman and some pets.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Big Old Lee tell De-hong?

<p>He told her many animal lore and also how to survive wild animal attacks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Dr.Xia do after De-hong's accident?

<p>He decided to break up the extended family. He distributed his wealth among his children and moved to Jinzhou city in 1936 with Yu-fang and De-hong.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why was Jinzhou important to the Japanese?

<p>Jinzhou was a strategic city in controlling Manchuria. The seizure of it became the focus of major diplomatic dispute between Japan and the United States resulting finally in Pearl Harbour ten years later.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why would Yu-fang not accompany Dr.Xia and De-hong on their walks?

<p>There was no custom of husband and wife taking walks. Moreover, her bound feet made walking a miserable experience for her.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Though poor, why was this the happiest time in Yu-fang's life?

<p>She experienced liberty from the rituals for the first time, made friends which was something new for her, and had the love of her husband with her daughter.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How is the lower class women's world described in this chapter?

<p>Women would gather and play tunes which consisted of simple, repetitive notes and rhythms and they would make up the lyrics as they went along. The married women sang about their sex lives, and the virgins asked questions about it. Being illiterate, women used this method to learn about the facts of life. Through their singing, they also talked about their lives and their husbands, passing on gossips.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why were home visits important to doctors?

<p>Home visits allowed doctors to be paid directly. Moreover, they were given handsome rewards if the patients were grateful.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Dr.Xia subtly treat the governor's problem of infertility?

<p>He prescribed medicines for both the governor and his wife and 13 concubines. Several of them became pregnant.</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did they move into a bigger house?

<p>1937</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Dr.Xia have extremely good health for his age?

<p>He was a member of Zai-li-bui (Society of Reason) and so never touched alcohol or tobacco. He subscribed to the theory that a man over 65 should not ejaculate. He took cold showers even in -10 degrees F. He refused to take medicines as he believed it only cured a part of the body while having side effects.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What excited De-hong the most?

<p>She was excited by the festivals which came once a month as the Chinese had no concept of workday weeks and only took a break when the holidays came.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did De-hong look forward to the festivals?

<p>People were poor under the Japanese invasions, and only on festivals was meat in reasonably abundant supply at home, allowing De-hong to satisfy her stomach.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statue did Yu-fang whisk De-hong away from and why?

<p>A statue of a woman being sawed by two men in half. She was being sawed by the two men because she was a widow who remarried and therefore, was the property of both men.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did many widows not remarry in those times?

<p>They were frightened of being divided into two in their afterlife and so did not remarry. Some of them even committed suicide to avoid remarrying.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did this episode reveal to De-hong?

<p>It revealed women's status in society and the difficulty that her mother faced in making a decision to marry Dr.Xia.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who were De-hong's friends in that house?

<p>'Big Old Lee' - Dr.Xia's coachman and some pets.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chapter 2 Overview

  • Covers the period from 1933 to 1938.
  • Highlights societal norms and family dynamics in the context of traditional Chinese culture.

Yu-fang's Family Dynamics

  • Yu-fang's parents were urged by General Xue's wife to take her back, indicating social relationships influenced family decisions.
  • Yu-fang’s father gained wealth and power through connections, becoming deputy chief of the Yixian police, showcasing the importance of social ties.
  • The family dynamic is strained; Yu-fang's mother and sister are viewed as burdens, leading to feelings of resentment.

Women’s Status and Concubines

  • Women were often objectified; concubines were viewed as possessions to enhance a man's status.
  • The practice of gifting concubines reflects how women were regarded as secondary to men in society.
  • Multiple concubines signified male status, increasing competition and conflict among women.

Yu-fang's Struggles

  • Yu-fang felt marginalized in her home, labeled a burden and considered unlucky due to her widowhood.
  • The concubines sought to undermine Yu-fang’s mother due to her legal wife status, which threatened their position.
  • Psychological tactics were employed by concubines to alienate Yu-fang’s mother.

Dr. Xia and Marriage Proposals

  • Dr. Xia was captivated by Yu-fang’s beauty upon their first meeting and expressed a desire to marry her, wanting to adopt her daughter as well.
  • Yu-fang's past as a concubine led to challenges in securing suitable marriage proposals; candidates were often of low status.

Family Conflict and Resistance

  • Dr. Xia's family resisted the marriage, citing the societal stigma against Yu-fang's past and the age difference.
  • The older son’s aggressive behavior towards Yu-fang culminated in violence; he ultimately took his own life in a botched gesture of defiance.

Marriage Customs and Expectations

  • According to Manchu customs, a woman's marriage initiation process affects her status; reluctance must be demonstrated.
  • On her wedding day, Yu-fang was expected to embody tranquility and stillness, aligning with traditional views of femininity.

Societal Context and Dr. Xia's Character

  • Dr. Xia reflected the societal pressure on men to remain stoic and suppress emotions.
  • Yu-fang's position in Dr. Xia's household was precarious; she faced restrictions and alienation despite her marriage.

Changes and New Beginnings

  • After De-hong's accident, Dr. Xia restructured his household, moving to Jinzhou city, an area vital to Japan's strategic interests.
  • Yu-fang's time in Jinzhou was paradoxical; it offered newfound freedom yet also presented entrapment within rigid customs.

Daily Life and Lower-Class Women

  • The lives of lower-class women were marked by communal activities, using song to convey experiences and learn about life.
  • Healthcare practices, including home visits, were crucial, allowing doctors to build rapport and secure better remuneration.

Cultural Reflections

  • Festivals provided joy amid the hardships of Japanese occupation; they were a focal point for celebrations and community bonding.
  • Societal beliefs around widowhood and remarriage instilled fear in women, as indicated by the myth regarding the afterlife consequences.

Personal Growth and Friendship

  • De-hong was bullied but found companionship in pets and the coachman, Big Old Lee, who shared knowledge about animal lore.
  • Yu-fang experienced a sense of liberation during her time in Jinzhou, contrasting her previous life of strict adherence to customs.

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Description

Test your knowledge on Chapter 2 of 'Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China'. This quiz covers important events from 1933-1938 and key details about the characters, including Yu-fang and her connections. Perfect for students studying this impactful work.

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