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Girl from Purple Mountain
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Girl from Purple Mountain Paperback - 2002

by May-Lee Chai; Winberg Chai

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Reader reviews for Girl from Purple Mountain

From the publisher

A family memoir set against the shifting tides of twentieth-century China, The Girl from Purple Mountain begins with a mystery: the Chai family matriarch, Ruth Mei-en Tsao Chai, dies unexpectedly and her grieving husband discovers that she had secretly arranged to be buried alone--rather than in the shared plots they had purchased together years ago.

For many years, Ruth's family remained shocked by her decision and could not begin to fathom her motivations. Over time, they would fully understand her extraordinary story. Ruth was born in China at the beginning of the 20th century, during the reign of the last emperor. Educated by American missionaries, she was one of the first women admitted into a Chinese university, during an era when most Chinese women were illiterate and had bound feet. She would defy tradition and refuse to marry the man her family had chosen for her, instead choosing his younger brother as her husband. Later, as the Japanese Army advanced across China during World War II, her foresight and quick thinking kept her family alive as she, her husband, and their three sons were forced to flee from city to city. In war-torn Chungking, she was Lady Mountbatten's interpreter as the Allies struggled to help China. After the war, the Chais immigrated to the U.S. to what seemed, until Ruth's death, a happier and more peaceful life.

In this extraordinary family epic, Ruth's first-born son, Winberg, and his daughter May-lee explore family history to reconstruct her life as they seek to understand her fateful decision. As Winberg writes: "It is my duty to try to understand my mother, to seek answers. To ignore the past is too much like forgetting . . . I hope my memories are enough to fulfill a son's obligations."

First line

My mother was buried alone, surrounded by strangers, the way she wished, in a New York mausoleum auspiciously bearing the name of her college dorm.

Details

  • Title Girl from Purple Mountain
  • Author May-Lee Chai; Winberg Chai
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition, F
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher St. Martin's Griffin, New York, NY
  • Publication date 2002-11-19
  • ISBN 9780312302702 / 0312302703
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.56 x 5.5 x 0.82 in (21.74 x 13.97 x 2.08 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Cultural Region: Asian - Chinese
    • Ethnic Orientation: Asian - General
    • Ethnic Orientation: Asian - Chinese
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • Kliatt, 03/01/2003, Page 42

About the author

Winberg Chai was born in Shanghai. He received his Ph.D. from New York University, and later became the first Asian American vice president of a state university. The author of more than twenty books on China, he is currently a political science professor at the University of Wyoming.

Daughter of Winberg Chai, May-Lee Chai is the author of the novel My Lucky Face. Her short stories have been published in various publications, including Seventeen, the North American Review, and the Missouri Review. A former reporter for the Associated Press, she has also taught creative writing at San Francisco State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Chai has Master's degrees from Yale University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Chai, May-lee; Chai, Winberg

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The Girl from Purple Mountain : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Chai, May-lee; Chai, Winberg

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St. Martin's Griffin, 2002-11-19. paperback. Very Good. 5x0x8. Binding tight.Cover clean.Minor wear to page edges and corners. Paperback.No writing, highlighting, or marks in text.
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The Girl from Purple Mountain : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

The Girl from Purple Mountain : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Winberg Chai; May-lee Chai

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St. Martin's Press, 2002. Paperback. As New. Disclaimer:An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

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THE GIRL FROM PURPLE MOUNTAIN : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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THE GIRL FROM PURPLE MOUNTAIN : Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Chai, May-Lee; Chai, Winberg

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New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin's, 2002. First Edition, First Printing . Paperback. COLLECTIBLE - NEW/None as Issued. BRAND NEW & Collectible. opy. Biography, memoir into the past. Ruth Mei-en Tsao Chai, mother to Winberg Chai and grandmother to Mary-lee Chai, dies in New York City. She had covertly made arrangements to be buried alone, repudiating the shared plots she and her husband had bought years ago; bewildered, her husband chose to be buried near by that he may keep watch over her through eternity. Why the choice to rest among strangers? Was not family the most important to her generation? Educator and historian, Winberg Chai and daughter May-lee share what they understand. A collaborative work in dual voices of son and father, and daughter and granddaughter. Excellnt bibliography of works pertaining to the socio-political climate of Ruth Chai's life time.
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Girl from Purple Mountain

Girl from Purple Mountain

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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Chai, May-lee

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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America
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The Girl from Purple Mountain: Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from China to America

by Chai, Winberg

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