fifth chinese daughter by jade snow wong

This new edition includes the original illustrations by Kathryn Uhl and features an introduction by Leslie Bow, who critically examines the changing reception and enduring legacy of the book and offers insight into Wong’s life as an artist and an ambassador of Chinese American culture.

It was written at a time when few portraits of Asian American life were available, and no similar works were as popular and broadly appealing. Leslie Bow is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of English and Asian American studies at the University of WisconsinMadison. She was also an award-winning ceramicist and enamelist. The US State Department even sent its charismatic young author on a four-month speaking tour throughout Asia.Ĭited as an influence by prominent Chinese American writers such as Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston, Fifth Chinese Daughter is a foundational work in Asian American literature. Jade Snow Wong (19222006), is the author of Fifth Chinese Daughter and No Chinese Stranger. Originally published in 1950, Fifth Chinese Daughter was one of the most widely read works by an Asian American author in the twentieth century.

Jade Snow Wong’s autobiography portrays her coming-of-age in San Francisco’s Chinatown, offering a rich depiction of her immigrant family and her strict upbringing, as well as her rebellion against family and societal expectations for a Chinese woman. Born in America, yet raised Chinese, Wong began to form her identity in the middle of this cultural clash.

Center for Teaching and Research on Writing When I looked at the list of recommended books that my granddaughter and I could read in preparation for our Road Scholar Grandparent Adventure in San Francisco, I was immediately drawn to Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong. Jade Snow Wong’s Fifth Chinese Daughter outlines the cultural struggles the author faced as a Chinese-American.

Fifth chinese daughter by jade snow wong