Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A philosopher's guide to the world's oldest civilization, June 24, 2002
This review is from: Watching The Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Traditions, and Spiritual Wisdom (Paperback)
"Watching the Tree" is a meditation on the philosophies that have shaped Chinese thought over the millenia. The West has its Judeo-Christian traditions and Puritan work ethic: China has Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. There's a saying that only the fish doesn't know water: we have to leave our surroundings to understand them. Adeline Yen Mah left French-occupied Shanghai and British-administered Hong Kong to earn a medical degree in England from Oxford University, and then worked in the US as a doctor for thirty years. Now she's on a mission to explain to us what makes the other one fourth of the world's population 'tick'. This isn't a textbook, and it isn't an autobiography, although the author draws heavily from her experience of living with her adored Buddhist grandfather. It's a meandering walk through Chinese history (all 8,000 or more years of it) and Chinese foods, medicine, language and writing. We learn how Confucius (Kong Fu Zi) strove to rid China of its cruel mandarin ruling class and replace it with an educated meritocracy -- and left a long-term legacy of a stultifying bureaucracy and contempt for feminine intellect. We learn how Taoism was subverted into a set of kitschy superstitions. And how Buddhism merged with Chinese thought to become Zen. The book is beautifully presented. The paper is fine quality and the text clear and well laid out. Dr Yen often gives the traditional Chinese ideograms for Chinese words and explains their derivation. What we write and what we say is what we think. No wonder the Chinese government has difficulty with the concepts of 'human rights' and 'privacy' when they have no words for them. And we have no words for tao or li or qi. We have a lot to learn.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Been there, done that, January 5, 2004
This review is from: Watching The Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Traditions, and Spiritual Wisdom (Paperback)
Despite that Adeline has since written many novels, examples used to illustrate her points are all derived from her personal life, which is depicted in her first outing, Falling Leaves. Therefore, it's tiring to read through the same old stories again & again. Having said that, credit goes to Adeline for bringing up issues such as Tao-ism, Zen, Confucianism & discussing about old Chinese proverbs. It certainly broadens horizons of the Western readers & affirming Eastern readers's knowledge towards their culture. The book is patchy as it juggles with this issue & that. The book is devoid of humour & it doesn't have beautiful prose that Amy Tan uses to her full advantage. One can say that this novel is rather rigid in its expression & should readers want to find out more about issues discussed in this novel, they can read other books recommended by Adeline at the end of the novel. Please do read it as a matter of interest. In terms of reading it for reading's sake, there are better novels around.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dr Yen's Yin and Yang, November 27, 2007
This review is from: Watching The Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Traditions, and Spiritual Wisdom (Paperback)
Dr Yen wrote this highly readable reflection from her own experience on happiness, tradition and spiritual wisdom. Her eleven chapters guided reader to the different aspects on Chinese culture so that non-Chinese have a simple better understanding and comprehension.
However, her allegation on the absence of a Chinese Shakespeare or Jane Austin in Imperial China was a western viewpoint as westerners could not read original Chinese classics - The Romance of Three Kingdom, Water Margin, The Journey to the West, Dream of Red Chamber and others such as Peony Pavilion, The Butterfly Lovers, The West Chamber Story and Gold Vase Plum. . . On the role of woman, she put bias against woman as Confucius teaching, specially foot-binding, a false connection. On P.73, she said "the emphasis a family values deteriorated into selfishness and a lack of social consciousness". Such conclusion overlooked the heroes in Chinese history who made the sacrifice for the country such as Man Tien Cheng, Yue Fei and others. On P.171, she showed Chinese had no zero till it was imported from Hindu-Arabic. However, reading the book "Writing on China" by Gottfried Leibniz will give an otherwise answer. On P.199, she said of no Chinese individual human rights. However, readers are advised to read The Commonwealth State from the Confucian Book of Rite for answer.
She wrote beautifully in this book. It was her family feud leading her to write this book on her yin and yang. It is a good introduction for understanding ancient and current China for a better world.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
