Among the 36 Strategies, Running away is the top one [Paperback]

Chia Chen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2006

Xuya Zhao runs from America to China, running away from her American problems. However, China is full of surprises for her, all kinds: the secrets her family has kept over the years, the unbreakable bond with her girlhood buddies, the magic power of her grandmother, the mystery of the jade pendants, the reunions and encounters with friends, sweethearts, acquaintances, and old enemies. Now she has a chance to settle those unsettled en en yuan yuan (passions and resentments) from the Cultural Revolution and to make sense of her complicated lives in both China and America. Thus, her return-home adventure turns into a journey of self-rediscovery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chia Chen was born and raised in Hangzhou, China. In 1987 she came to Amierica to study and obtained a BA in Creative Writing from Queens College. 'Among The 36 Strategies, Running Away is the Top One' is her first novel. This book was inspired by her first return-home trip in 1994. She set the stories in her hometown Hangzhou, a beautiful city known as the "Paradise on Earth" to the Chinese. She lives in her second hometown New York. She is a freelance fiction writer and is working on her second book.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

My left eyelid begins twitching when I arrive at the China Airline Terminal. This makes me feel nervous. Grandma used to teach me that if a woman's left eyelid twitched, something bad would happen. My hand presses the eyelid hard, but it continues twitching. I stop at the scanning machine, looking at the moving belt and then at my carry-on bag. I lift it up and put it down again. My hesitation stops the proceeding. "Miss, put your bag on the belt," the security guard says to me. I still hold the bag, doing nothing. The passenger behind me puts his bag on the belt and passes me. He gives me a dirty look and says something in Cantonese. The people behind him add some Cantonese as an agreement. I ignore them, but reluctantly place my bag on the belt, praying in silence that they will not ask me to open it. As I am going through the security gate, the alarm goes off. "Miss, step aside," a female guard says to me. She signals me to raise my arms and then scans me with the hand scanner. It is the metal buckle on my leather belt around my waist. Finally she lets me go. I rush to the end of the scanning machine and am so happy to see my bag unopened. It has passed the scanner. I drag the bag, walking as fast as I can, away from the security area. My hand grabs the handle so tightly that the palm is sweating. when I reach the waiting area, I am stunned to see a full house of Chinese passengers. Am I in New York or am I in China? I have to ask my self, feeling quite confused. For the past seven years living in America, I have never seen a single place as Chinese-dominant as here, not even in Chinatown, or the Little Chinatown -- Flushing. There is a white man with a beard and a black guy wearing a baseball cap in this Chinese flow. The two look rather misplaced, lost in the Chinese sea. They are attracting attention. Though the waiting area is crowded, no Chinese jam around the non-Chinese. I eye an empty seat next to the white and move over. "Excuse me, can I sit here?" I ask "Please," he pleasantly invites. He is sick of being singled out and glad to receive some friendliness. I thank him and take the seat. Suddenly, I sense looks form all directions. Turning around, I find myself the focus of attention. Their looks are icy cold. I look back. They don't look away. Then I have to. It is too confrontational. Chinese hold onto their own people and reject non-Chinese. Inter-race socializing, dating or marriage is like bringing the Devil to Chinese society. 'Yang Gui Zi' (Foreign Devils) -- that is what Chinese people historically called foreigners. They are more polite these days; they call them 'Da Bi Zi' (Big Noses) or 'Wei Guo Ren' (Foreigners). They don't separate one nation from another, for instance, 'Mei Guo Ren' (Americans) from 'De Guo Ren' (Germans), 'Yi Da Li Ren' (Italians) from 'Fa Guo Ren' (Frenchmen), 'Xi Ban Ya Ren'(Spanish) from 'La Mei Guo Ren' (Hispanics). What is the difference? In this world human beings are categorized into two groups: Chinese and non-Chinese, 'Wei Guo Ren' (Foreigners). Chinese are quiet and patient, but stubborn and determined. In their quietness is their passion, which has the power of a volcano or a quake. The tension I am feeling here is more intense than what I felt when hanging out with my non-Chinese friends in Chinatown, where other peoples mingled with Chinese crowds.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155212374X
• ISBN-13: 978-1552123744
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,661,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and fun, December 16, 2000

By 

Eileen P. Argue (Apalachin, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among the 36 Strategies, Running away is the top one (Paperback)

Don't be put off thinking this is a deep political or cultural book. It is, but it is also fascinating in its detail and fun in the way it opens a door on life in modern China. The pace is none stop and the characters so memorable. By the second page, I could not put the book down, but walked around with it open as I cooked and did laundry with the other hand. Chia Chen is an author with real talent for capturing the moment.

4.0 out of 5 stars Literary free trade with China is a lot easier, December 11, 2000

By 

"grimreader" (San Diego California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among the 36 Strategies, Running away is the top one (Paperback)

My second day of reading this book and I am severly upset at our lack of cultural exchange. What have we been missing is the one questions not sufficiently answered by international book reviewers world wide. The treasure trove of supressed literary genius has exploded on to an unprepared public. Don't miss out.

the grimreader.

5.0 out of 5 stars A novel of epic sweep, November 26, 2000

By 

Frederick H. Buell (Warwick, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among the 36 Strategies, Running away is the top one (Paperback)

Though the novel (Among The 36 Strategies, Running Away Is The Top One) focuses on the discoveries of one character (Xuya Zhao) on a trip back to her native country, it achieves a nearly epic sweep in its portrayal of the social fabric of contemporary China. It is, first and foremost, a novel about a personal quest-both to uncover secrets in the past and resolve present problems. The quest takes Xuya, the protagonist, from a troubled and conflicted life in New York City to China. In the process, the novel manages to look back into recent Chinese history; to portray the opening of China to the world economy today; and to introduce readers to a large and varied cast of characters. Stylistically, it is virtuosic, ranging from Dickensian caricature to magical-real lyricism to genuinely affecting pathos. Its emotional range is similarly large. Chia Chen has achieved something extraordinary. Writing a novel of great size and scope, she has also managed to mold her material, as various as it is, into an exciting narrative of discovery: Chen's novel is large and important, and it is also a crackling good read.