Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition and Spritual Wisdom [Hardcover]

Adeline Yen Mah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2001

From the bestselling author of Falling Leaves, a remarkable book of wisdom and spirit.
Somewhere it is written that every Chinese wears a Confucian thinking cap, a Taoist robe, and Buddhist sandals. In Watching the Tree, Adeline Yen Mah brings together the many influences on her life as a child of the East and as a student and adult in the West. Conveying a wealth of insight and experience, Adeline illuminates major aspects of Chinese customs and culture while weaving in stories of personal struggle triumph throughout her life.

Taking a step beyond her previous book, Falling Leaves, a powerful memoir set against the backdrop of political and cultural upheaval in China, Adeline explores the centuries-old Chinese traditions and their legacy in modern-day China and the West. With Adeline’s provocative essays on Buddhism, the I Ching, Tao, Confucius, and their role in shaping Chinese thought, Watching the Tree inspires as it uplifts the soul, giving readers an unusual glimpse inside a culture that remains mysterious and often misunderstood.

In her sharp observations on Chinese food and medicine, yin and yang, Zen, and feng shui, Adeline enlightens readers with the mundane—an approach to healing an illness you might find at a Chinese grocery store—to the larger questions in life surrounding true happiness, health, and spirituality. Bridging the cultural divide between the East and West, these stories reveal the strength and peace of mind that comes from opening one’s heart and mind to the wisdom and experience of our combined histories.

For anyone looking for a clearer understanding of Chinese culture and for inspiring personal stories that embody a life lived in the wake of Chinese tradition, Watching the Tree opens the door into a world of calm reflection, knowledge, and spirituality.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Adeline Yen Mah scored a big hit with her autobiography Falling Leaves. Now she follows up by filling in some of the details of Chinese thought and culture that have been important in her life. Commenting on the language, philosophies, customs, and food of China, Mah fleshes out the Chinese mind. Short essays are arranged around chapter themes and incorporate episodes from Mah's life as well as colorful sayings and historical information. She is at her best when speaking from personal experience and expertise, as in her piece on Chinese food and nutrition. But she can also come off as didactic, and she tends to wander aimlessly from topic to topic. The reader often feels that in order to justify the value of Chinese culture to herself and others she has tried to pack in every interesting thing she knows, or has read, about Chinese civilization, but without a guiding narrative. For these tidbits, the wading is often worth it, though much of her historical information can be found in the same books where she found them. One wishes she had the style of a Jonathan Spence or the humor of a Lin Yutang to make the reading about such a fascinating culture an uncommon pleasure. --Brian Bruya

From Library Journal

This brief but compelling book is basically a primer on Chinese culture. In 11 chapters, Mah (Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter) furnishes explanations of Confucius and Confucianism, Buddhism, the I Ching, Chinese herbs and medicines, feng shui, yin-yang, and the Chinese language, among other topics. Intertwined with these lessons are her own experiences and reflections. During an unhappy childhood with a cruel stepmother in Shanghai and Tianjin, she learned much from her grandfather and aunt, both of whom sustained her through many trials. Later, as a doctor in England and America, Mah learned more from other doctors, professors, and an encounter with Philip Larkin, the noted British poet. Mah is an articulate and fluent writer, and though she gives the Chinese characters for many of the things she discusses, the material is basic enough that the reader does not need to know the Chinese. Recommended for large public libraries.
-DKitty Chen Dean, Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (January 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767904109
• ISBN-13: 978-0767904100
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DESTINED TO BE A CLASSIC, January 28, 2001

By 

Tom Herren - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition and Spritual Wisdom (Hardcover)

Adeline Yen Mah writes with sometimes painful honesty about her life in general, her personal relationships as well as her family, community and country. I don't recall having read a book that could be so moving and yet so intellectually enriching. Anyone doing business in China, Japan, Korea or Malaysia should read this book and carry it in their briefcase. Beyond the poignant stories of her personal life, the book offers an enormous scope of information and insights. If you have ever wondered about Feng Shui, the I Ching, the Tao, Buddha and Confucius, you will find this book very interesting. If you have some scientific background you will be fascinated by her discussion about Hiesenberg's "Uncertainty Principle", Quantum Physics, String Theory as well as references to Carl Jung, Galileo, Spinoza, the Dalai Lama, the Julian Calendar vs. the Chinese Calendar, Laplace, Leibniz and the list goes on! She is a Physician and writer with a keen sense about philosophy, the history of science and mathematics. There is no word or concept for "human rights" in Chinese and her explanation is a real eye opener. The profound influence of Confucius for over 2500 years and the late adoption of the zero (1247 AD) explain a lot about the history of China. She writes with respect towards the reader and has an obvious reverence for her subject matter. I have only one disappointment. There is no index to help the reader to return to the many points of interest in the book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for Beginner's and Experts, March 12, 2002

By 

The Hairy Optimist (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition and Spritual Wisdom (Hardcover)

This book covers the essentials of Chinese culture in a very cohesive, anecdotal way, and its enjoyable to read. The author brings together elements of the written language, history, legend, food, medicine and more in the best example that I've seen of explaining the Chinese culture to the non-chinese.

It's the single best source for understanding the Chinese culture. If you're going to China - whether a novice or china expert - you'll get a lot out of this book.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Watching The Tree, November 22, 2000

By 

"rose_kk" (Somewhere very near to the author's birth place.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition and Spritual Wisdom (Hardcover)

When I was looking for a new book in my favorite book store, I glance at this book. Without hesitation, I grabbed the book adding into my shopping cart because of the author's name. I read her Falling Leave and love it so much. But I am quite disappointed on Watching The Tree. The story is not continuously smoothing and not curiously interesting compared to Falling Leave.

The good point in reading this book is to winden the horizon of universal wisdom