A Daughter of Han: The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman (Paperback)

~ Ida Pruitt (Author)

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Review

Ning Lao T'ai-t'ai, born in the seventh year of T'ung Chih, 1867, lived a full and difficult life; she bore and buried children, worked as a maidservant, begged for food, and felt pride in her old age by sharing a home with her son and his family. A lively, driven woman who wants only to provide for her family, often without the support of her opium-addicted husband, Ning Lao wonders how life would have been different with a formal education: "I might have been somebody in the world." When her husband sells their kitchenware, she gets it back; when he sells their daughters, she gets them back, then must give one up because she's unable to feed her. As a maidservant she often works for Christian missionaries but refuses to accept their religion. Her tongue costs her many positions: told she should thank God for her strong arms and legs, she responds that she had them before she'd ever heard of God. She describes the importance of neighbors and self-reliance in the life of a peasant, stating bluntly: "I am not afraid of hard work but I am afraid of hunger..." Her life is recorded in conversations with Ida Pruitt over a two-year period. Unfortunately, the book ends in 1938 with the Japanese occupation of Peking, and the rest of Ning Lao's life is unknown. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Holly Smith --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1945)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804706069
• ISBN-13: 978-0804706063
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #361,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Slice of Life, February 7, 2004

By	Daitokuji31 (Black Glass) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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This review is from: A Daughter of Han: The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman (Hardcover)

Ning Lao Ta'i-ta'i. _The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman. Translated and Transcribed by Ida Pruitt. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1967.

Every now and then I read an entire book in one for one or two reasons a) I have to read a book that I have put off for the time period in which I had to read it b) I become completely engrossed in it. I must say that, in the case of this book, it started off as the former and it ended up being the latter, although I still have to write a paper on it by tuesday.

This memoir was was orally transcribed by Ida Pruitt over a two year period in which Mrs. Ning visited her from 1936-38. Pruitt was forced to leave Beijing in 1938 when the Japanese invaded the series. In the brief introduction of the book, Pruitt informs the reader that she does not know what happened to Mrs. Ning after she returned to America. The brutallity of the Japanese army was not as great in Beijing as in such areas as Nanjing and Shanghai,but one can not help wondering about Mrs.Ning who the reader, or at least I, becomes quite attached to.

Mrs. Ning begins her tale by detailing how her family became established in the town of P'englai her family history is both entrenched in history and folklore and makes for a fascinting read. The book continues following her life from her childhood, marriage, hard times, working both for government officials and missionaries, and finally living in Beijing. The greatest thing about this book is the extraordinary detail Mrs. Ning goes into describing her everyday life. One can almost see oneself removing the fourth wall of the past and being able to see late Ching China. One gets to see a good picture of opium addiction and the dealings inside yamen, political offices, that are no longer controlled by skilled officials. A great book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Really Liked this book!, May 16, 2003

By	"ml320chula" (BROOKLYN) - See all my reviews

I had to read this book for a core class in college and I thought that I would have hated it. Actually, I really liked it. It told of a Chinese working woman's life. It even gives the reader an insight into her lifestyle and her struggles during this tumuluous time in history. The story even touches on the japanese invasion. I didn't think this biography would be interesting but it was. I would recommended this book to anyone. It is a light read and it is very interesting.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare look at life at the turn of the century in China, December 7, 2006

By	wolverine librarian (Michigan) - See all my reviews

China always seems to have a veil of mystery around it. This book give a rare glimpse of life at the turn of the 19th century as the empire was dying and the nationalists and communists were gearing up for battle. I read this book for a class on Chinese women and absolutely loved it. I will always remember the part of having her feet bound and how her mother would lay on her legs at night so that she could sleep. Unfortunately I lost the book after many years. It wasn't until now, as I was conducting inventory of our biography collection at the library where I work, that I came across the sequal to this book. For those who could not get enough of Lao Tai-tai, there is a second book by Ida Pruitt titled "Old Madam Yin: a memoir of Peking life 1926-1938." The copyright date is 1979. The Daughter of Han is now a wealthy widow struggling to adapt to the new order. If you can't find it on amazon you can always Inter-library loan the book, I know there's at least one library in the midwest that has it ;).