s/o Chinese Mothers

[MelissaCC]

Just thought it was worth noting that at least since the time of the Tang and Song dynasties, there has been an emphasis in Chinese culture on valuing an administrative class where affluence and status were strongly reliant on one's performance in civil service examinations.

 

As much as I vehemently disagree with the author of the article, I do see where her thinking comes from historically.

[Julie in Austin]

Yes.

 

My husband and I discussed the very same thing today. On the one hand, it is nice to imagine a meritocracy where everyone believes that he (not she, of course, but that's another story . . .) could be successful if he works hard enough. On the other hand . . .

[Laurie4b]

Interesting point.

[Matryoshka]

Just thought it was worth noting that at least since the time of the Tang and Song dynasties, there has been an emphasis in Chinese culture on valuing an administrative class where affluence and status were strongly reliant on one's performance in civil service examinations.

 

As much as I vehemently disagree with the author of the article, I do see where her thinking comes from historically.

 

I've also sometimes wondered how the Cultural Revolution has played into all this - the years where no one was allowed any academic knowledge at all (and desire to have any was looked upon with suspicion), intellcutals and professionals were denounced, separated from their families, sent to work the fields with the peasants (sometimes worked to death), and the only thing they were allowed to study at "school' was the Little Red Book.

 

I read a fascinating memoir called Wild Swans about three generations of a Chinese family, from the grandmother who was a concubine with bound feet, to the mother who was a high-level communist official, and the daughter (the author), who was a teen/young adult during the Cultural Revolution, who had to sneak contraband books and study things in secret.

[jennynd]

I've also sometimes wondered how the Cultural Revolution has played into all this - the years where no one was allowed any academic knowledge at all (and desire to have any was looked upon with suspicion), intellcutals and professionals were denounced, separated from their families, sent to work the fields with the peasants (sometimes worked to death), and the only thing they were allowed to study at "school' was the Little Red Book.

 

I read a fascinating memoir called Wild Swans about three generations of a Chinese family, from the grandmother who was a concubine with bound feet, to the mother who was a high-level communist official, and the daughter (the author), who was a teen/young adult during the Cultural Revolution, who had to sneak contraband books and study things in secret.

 

 

for the book u mentioned, i never read that but the stuation was rather common in China. My grand father had 4 wives.. yes he did. the women had low standing in society, at the time, the beauty of a women was judged by the size of their feet. so they bound their feet since they are little so keep feet tiny.. during culture revoluation, since communist believe that farmers are the owner of the country, study was not encouraged, My grandpa was rich and he was the scholar in the town. and he was killed because of that. crazy history

[MelissaCC]

Also, I wonder how our Western history plays into our educational and personal expectations for our children ? feels way better to make this issue bigger and broader than the individual :)