Essay Questions

What was the purpose of the "approved" overseas newspapers allowed by the Chinese government? What effect did they have on Jung Chang?

The Chinese government created publications that were apparently overseas newspapers for the specific purpose of conveying the message that Capitalist nations were actually very envious of the Maoist system and wished that they had the same system. The newspapers showed people in Capitalist countries to be deprived, starving and miserable, never knowing where the next dollar or even the next meal was coming from. Thank goodness, the newspapers implied, that China is not like one of these unfortunate Capitalist countries.

The effect that the propaganda was supposed to have was creating a dependency on Mao and his government and to prevent the people from questioning anything that they did. The effect that the articles had on Jung Chang, thought, was to make her rather envious of the people in Capitalist countries in that they were permitted to voice feelings of dissatisfaction about their own country. Whilst she wholeheartedly believed the notion that they were miserable, hungry and all together worse off than the citizens of China, she nonetheless recognized that the ability to speak out about one's own government was something to be both envied and respected, and she also realized that this was something that she and her fellow Chinese definitely did not have.

What was the purpose of foot binding? What did the practice say about the role of women in Chinese society?

Foot binding was an ancient practice with roots in China's ancient past. It was considered desirable for women to have small feet, therefore, the smaller a woman's feet, the more desirable, and marriageable, she became. In order to prevent feet from growing. The toes were broken and bent up underneath the ball of the foot, then securely bound and repeatedly rebound to such an extent that women were unable to do anything but shuffle. It was a barbaric practice and demonstrated that society's view of women was that of concubines, and that they were there only to service the needs of men. It was actually considered to be a compliment to be selected as a concubine for someone important and brought not just honor but an improvement to the lives and standard of living for their families. A woman had no value in her own right and was seen purely as a ticket to better things, which is why the foot binding practice continued.