A Powerful Man

A very important character in The Little Chinese Seamstress, the doctor played a very significant role regarding Luo’s life and also the seamstress’s. Luo and the seamstress’s relationship was very strong and close to the point where the seamstress was pregnant. This news led all three people to think what is the best choice in the situation that they are in. The decision was made between Ma his very close friend and the seamstress.
The doctor did perform the abortion of the Luo and the seamstress’s baby. The decision to have the abortion was made when Luo was gone, away from the seamstress. The doctor needed an explanation for the abortion because the doctor had high standards and just didn’t want to do an abortion for no reason. This event helps Ma get closer to the seamstress which is his love. However, after the process, he is unsuccessful in stealing her from Luo. When Luo comes back from his vacation to visit his sick father and he found that the seamstress has left the city, not needing Luo in her life anymore. Not only did she leave Luo, but also left Ma which should not have happened because she was his love that he watched getting played out between her and Luo.
Marriage laws in China forbid anyone from getting married before twenty five and also, an abortion is illegal in China without a marriage certificate. The abortion that the seamstress got was a secret one not known by anyone else or else she would have gotten in trouble and had to convince the doctor to do one by saying that he is saving her life and that she will love him forever. The seamstress would have faced prosecution from Mao Zedong and the Chinese government if the abortion was known.

The Selfish Leader

The Headman in the Little Chinese Seamstress played a very important role in the community, but especially to Ma and Luo. The headman was in charge of the village and he is in charge of sending them for re-education far away from their normal homes and cities. His ultimate boss is Mao Zedong, who is Chinas leader and came up with the plan and idea to re-educate Chinese young children for a new China. However, the headman of Ma and Luo’s village enforces it. Mao’s red guards also enforced his plan along with the headman in each village.
The headman is very arrogant person and mean, he doesn’t care what Ma or Luo think of Mao’s plan or his decision to send them to the country side for re-education. The headman doesn’t seem to realize what the re-education consists of and could care less about what will happen to them if he sends them there. At one point, the headman even blackmailed Luo to fix his teeth so that he wouldn’t send Ma to jail which just shows his real character and sneaky personality.
This relates to when Mao came up with the plan and although it was for the better, he really didn’t take in consideration how much work and mental pain the kids would have to go through sending them away from their home or town for an extended amount of time to be re-educated. He brought reform out west to increase his political power and capture more of the western side of china. Blackmail was common, and strict crimes were taken very seriously in Ma and Luos society, but the leaders of each town were very strict and didn’t care much of what people thought since it was a hard place to be in a Chinese reforming government.

A Life Changing Leader

Mao Zedong, was a son of a peasant farmer and born in 1893. He served in the army as a young kid and also worked at a library as a young child following his fathers footsteps of being a rich person in society through hard work. Mao Zedong rose to power in China in the thirties and stressed the importance of leadership in the peasant movement that he directed.
In 1928 Mao led the fourth red army for the peasant movement and also wanted to unify China and oppose the Japanese aggression by using his Communism government. Mao wanted to focus his revolution in the weak areas of china and also the uncommon ones, rural places would be in western china and the rural countryside. Mao wanted to focus on literature because he saw that as the primary goal in a revolution and his experience with reading and learning was important to him and thought that knowledge/education is power. Mao’s father showed him that his transition from poor to rich was through hard work and Mao learned that first hand. In 1958 Mao started the Great Leap forward to increase Chinas production and agriculture. It involved 75,000 people and had a lot of factories running to help it. Mao also worked on trading routes and relationships with exports. This lasted until 1962 when he had to create a new plan for reformation and revolution.
Mao lived a very simple life as a leader, which is somewhat uncommon. Mao, owning broken items, worked late overtimes, and owned very little items in his name. Mao’s son was killed in the Korean war and Mao’s other son wrote about the death. Mao was a very good leader, widely respected by others and helped his people change for the better, although some people do not agree.

Jin Ping Mei

The Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng has been a very popular read. The title translated into English is “The Plum in the Golden Vase.” The book has been so popular that many consider it to be the fifth classical novel (after the Four Great Classical Novels: A Dream of Red Mansions, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Water Margin.) It is about the downfall of the Ximen household. The story takes place in the years 1111-1127. The main character is Ximien Quing, who is wealthy and corrupt. He has many wives, some of which he married because he murdered their husbands. This novel is very similar to Water Margin, since they are both about Ximen Quing. Also, the first chapter is based on a chapter in Water Margin.
The popular novel brought much controversy due to the explicit material. Many considered the novel to be pornographic material. The novel has been banned in many areas. The detailed scenes involving sexuality are inappropriate for many people. These explicit scenes included sexual euphemisms. Jin Ping Mei also involves issues like the ancient Chinese role of women and sexual politics. These topics seemed to cross the boundaries of literature for many people.
Although Jin Ping Mei brought an extreme amount of controversy in Chinese society, it set a precedent for other Chinese authors. More Chinese authors after that would include descriptive sexual scenes and mention issues in Chinese civilization. Most authors were afraid to do that before, but now the example has been set, and novels are becoming more descriptive and truthful. Authors can now put their true voice behind the words of their work.

Four-eyes

Luo and Ma met Four Eyes because he was stationed at another site for the re-education. They immediately connected with him because they were all in the same situation. The three boys felt very close with each other and they became good friends. Four Eyes was the son of a writer and his mother was a poet. However, he was not as intelligent as one would think.
The boys wanted to be friends with Four Eyes even more because he had smuggled in a suitcase full of books to his reeducation site. He had many novels from Western society that had been banned or destroyed by the Red Guard. Luo and Ma stole the books from Four Eyes and read the stories to the Little Chinese Seamstress so she could learn about cultures other than her own.
Four Eyes told his mother that the only reason he was friends with Luo was because he was the son of a dentist. Four Eyes thought that if he became good enough friends with Luo, Luo’s father could give him and his family reduced price on dental work. This shows Four Eyes’ true character. He is very materialistic and does not really care about true friendship. All he looks for in a friendship is what he can get out of it that will be beneficial for himself and his family. Four Eyes is not a true friend, unlike Luo and Ma who are just trying to have a good relationship with Four Eyes.

The Mother of Four-eyes

Four Eyes’ mother was a poetess, which influenced Four Eyes’ love for literature. She also affected Four Eyes extremely when she took him away from his reeducation site. She thought that Four Eyes was too smart to be at the site. She felt that there was no reason for him to be there. She convinces the government to let Four Eyes go, because she is a poetess so she has a good amount of power.
When Four Eyes left the reeducation site, this was a loss for Luo and Ma because Four Eyes was a good friend of theirs. Also, when he left, his books were left behind with the two friends. They eventually used these to read to the Little Chinese Seamstress so she could learn about other cultures. If Four Eyes had not been taken home by his mother, the boys would not have possessed all of the books.
Four Eyes’ mother also affected the characteristics of Four Eyes. She raised him as a child, so his selfishness and materialistic ways can be held responsible by her. Four Eyes’ personality is very much reflected by his mother. She is very stuck up and arrogant when she convinces the government to remove her son from his reeducation site. She thinks her son is better than everyone else and that he does not need reeducation.

The Little Seamstress

In the story Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress, one of the main prevelant characters in the story was in fact the Little Seamstress. She had a big impact on both of the main characters/ narrator. Both boys had feelings for her and were willing to do anything to help her. Both boy’s, now educated had the knowledge and ability to see that the little seamstress was uneducated. They not only saw this but now had the ability to assure that she becomes educated. They knew that uneducated her future was bleak but with their help and a subpar education in a very uneducated area she would be able to shine like no other. Little did they know she would leave them at the end of the story.
One of the main parts of this story is when Lou impregnates the little seamstress; due to the fact that Lou and the little seamstress were not married it was illegal for this to happen. Without Lou’s consent the narrator takes the little Chinese seamstress to get an abortion. While this was occurring Lou was away for a month due to the fact that his mother was ill. They decide to not tell Lou that the seamstress is pregnant I assume to prevent him from worrying. When the narrator takes The Seamstress for the abortion they are informed that the abortion is an illegal procedure because due to the fact that it’s illegal for her to be pregnant in the first place. At first the narrator try’s lying the Doctor to get the abortion to go through the narrator says that it was his sister but sadly the doctor knew the family, which is also the reason he was doing it and catches the narrator in the lie. He then tells the Doctor that it is his girlfriend and that he desperately needs the abortion to take place. He gives the doctor one of the western books that he stole from Four Eyes that were banned by the government, in exchange for the abortion. I feel that if Lou was responsible they never would have been put into this situation but because he wasn’t it would have been in the best interest of everyone if they had told him of his mistake and had him help solve the issue.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The author of this story was Lou Ganzhong; this tale is told in both china and Japan. Due to the fact that Japan was ruled by china for a long period of time they tell similar stories and have similar forms of culture. Buddhism and Confucianism are the two main forms of religion and the two religions are greatly prestige by Chinese culture therefore a lot of the ideas in these religions overlap into there stories. This story is considered a historical novel dating all the way back to the 14th century. The major parts of the story include; the yellow turban, dong Zhous reign of terror, conflicts among warlords, liu beis ambition and the battle of red cliffs. There are many important parts and quotes in this story. One includes the passage the relationship between a husband and wife is like a piece of garment; the relationship between two brothers is like a limb. This shows us a lot about what this story is used to speak. This story is used to show that in Chinese culture family is very important. It’s telling us that marriage is like clothes and can change but you can’t loose a limb like a brother or sister. Siblings are irreplaceable and value them as such, there is roughly 120 chapters too this tale and originally 900,000 characters. This also shows us that they aren’t brief and concise, the Chinese like to tell tales that carry heavy messages about there culture. This is how we can tell that the Chinese see things like reincarnation and karma as a major role in there culture and there life. We can also assume that they are entertained by more “adult like” material, but have accepted that only certain people should be able to hear them so they keep children away from these stories but it also shows us that they view there youth as more mature and adult like than we do

The Ring of a Tailor

The little Seamstress’s father was always referred to as “The Tailor”. In the book he is awarded the same level of respect and even reverence as a lord. The only reason why he is treated this way is because he is the only tailor in the area and even the mountain that Ma and Lou are stuck on. The tailor is a quirky man. He understands that he has power and he uses it. One way he uses his power is to get his way and be able to stay with Ma and Lou so Ma can tell the Tailor stories from forbidden western books that Ma has memorized.
Ma continues to tell the stories he has read to the Tailor over time. One time the Tailor goes to the village Ma and Lou are in and stays for the night. Over that night Ma recounts a story to the Tailor. He is so enraptured by the story that they stay up all night while Ma tells his tale. Soon after the Tailor comes back and stays even longer, insisting that Ma tell him more. This happens quite often, with the Tailor staying over here and there.
As Ma tells the Tailor these stories, the Tailor begins to change his tailoring based on the parts of the stories he has heard. The clothing the Tailor makes becomes more elegant, his style more and more influenced by the stories the Ma is telling him. Since the Tailor has the power of his station as a tailor he can make these thing happen. Like for example he arranges to stay with Lou and Ma for extended periods of time and stay up all night long listening to Ma and occasionally Lou recount stories to him.
The reason why this is important is because these books and ideas are forbidden and illegal in China and these three share them quite frequently. It also goes to show what just a few stories from a few books can do to somebody in a short amount of time.

The Man Behind the Voice

Most people who read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie never know who it is that is telling the story. He is referred to as the narrator by most people or is once referred to as the fiddler in the book. His name is actually Ma. In case you are wondering how this name was found, it is actually in the book, but you would have only been able to find it if you could read Chinese.
In the beginning of the book the narrator, Ma, and Lou get sent to a place called the Mountain of the Phoenix in the rural parts of china for their re-education. When Ma arrives with Lou he has no particular skills other than playing the violin. Lou out performs Ma everywhere. Lou can tell stories very well, engaging his audience in ways Ma can only dream of. Lou also falls in love and wins the love of the little seamstress.
As the book goes on Ma develops his skills and soon surpasses Lou in most things like telling the stories better than Lou. Ma also finds himself also to have fallen in love with the little seamstress and is in fact more capable of taking care of the little seamstress than Lou is. Ma proves this by arranging for the little seamstress an abortion. Lou could never have done that or may have wanted to have the little seamstress get an abortion, which would have put him and the little seamstress at deadly risk if the Chinese government were to find out.
This incident of the Lou getting the little seamstress pregnant and Ma having to clean up after him shows that Ma has surpasses Lou. Ma can take care of the little seamstress now; compare to when Lou first fell in love with her Ma could not take care of anyone except himself. Another thing Ma understood better than Lou is the fact that you should accept and cherish the way people are and not try to change who they are to fit what you think they should be. If you look at the way Ma takes care of the little seamstress, she should have dumped Lou gone with Ma to the city.

Guards of the Red

When most people hear the term “Red Guards” they either think of the Chinese revolutionary group or of the red guard of Star Wars, who protect the evil Emperor Palpatine. Most people may think that the star wars red guards are a representation of the red guard of China’s revolution but they are not. Although they are an accurate representation of how the real Red Guard protected and followed Mao Zedong.

The Red Guard movement started in the University middle school of Tsinghua. They started by speaking out by making posters on May 25 and June 2nd of 1966 by making a manifesto. When they did this the university shut them down and they had to meet secretly together. It was not until Mao, the chairman and head honcho of communist China, got wind of their movement he had their manifesto broadcast throughout the nation. This event made the Red Guard popular and mainstream in China with groups of red guards appearing across China.
Mao used the Red Guard as his private revolutionary army. The red guards were young people who were wholly invested and believed in Mao’s movement. Mao even meet with them in Tiananmen Square, which ironically would be the place where a massacre would occur years later, protesting the communist government. The red guards were used to destroy China’s past specifically the four olds of Chinese society. These olds were the customs, culture, habits and ideas. They destroyed books, art, museums and religious places. They even attacked intellectuals who were accused of bourgeoisie tendencies and harboring some of the four olds. These people were arrested as counterrevolutionaries and some were even brought before firing squads.

Soon the Red Guard entered the work force their power was contested by the peasants and workers who needed to keep them from taking over in the work place too. By the end of 1966 the leaders of communist china and the Cultural Revolution began to see the red guards as a detriment to the Cultural Revolution and a huge factor to the instability of China. With China’s best interest in mind the Chinese government decided to disband the Red Guard. The disbandment began in the beginning of 1967 and did not occur all too peacefully. It took the army 2 years to completely shut down the Red Guard and make them defunct, which still hold to this day.