Three Daughters of China Adaptation

My great grandfather, Yang Ru-shan was living in Ben Tre, Vietnam with his wife. They were
married having six years gap, with my great grandmother being the older one. Being the second daughter,
my great grandmother was simply called number two girl. My grandmother was born within a year of the
wedding on the fifth day of the fifth moon, in early summer 1909. She was in a better position than her
mother, for she was actually given a name: Yufang. Yu, meaning 'jade," was her generation name, given
to all the offspring of the same generation, while fang means 'fragrant flowers." My grandmother was
beautiful. She has oval face, rosy cheeks and lustrous skin. She has bound feet, which were her greatest
asset. She was trained to be a perfect lady or a high class courtesan.
My grandmother was considered the belle of the town. The locals said she stood out like a crane
among chickens." In 1924 when she was fifteen, General Xue Zhi-heng, an inspector general of the
Metropolitan Police of the warlord government came to pay a visit. He was a gifted calligrapher. He owns
an eighty one room mansion in Can Tho. He was introduced to my grandmother by my great grandfather.
He did not offered marriage, only that my grandmother should become his concubine. She hated the idea
of being a concubine, but her father had already made the decision, and it was not good to oppose one's
parents. To question a parental decision was tantamount to treason. My grandmother then had nothing to
do but to agree.
My grandfather and General Xue lived together for only three days. General Xue left and has
some business to do in Can Tho. Its not advisable to ask ones husband about what he does and what he
is busy about. My grandmother then just waited for him to come back. She had to wait for six years. She
was never short of money because General Xue sent her a regular allowance, which was delivered every
month by the manager of his pawnshop. She waited for months then it became years. She is longing for
him and missed him so much. But eventually it became clear to her that she was a mere play thing, a
concubine not a wife.
One day, General Xue reappeared. In fact, in those six years the general had not been far away at
all. He had been leading the quiet life of a wealthy retired general. The world in which he had flourished
was becoming a thing of the past. The warlord and their fief system had collapsed and most of the country
was now controlled by a force, the Kuomintang, or Nationalists, headed by Chiang Kai-shek. General
Xues visit did not last long. The night before he left, he asked my grandmother to live with him in Can
Tho. My grandmother did not agree. A short time later, my grandmother realized she was pregnant. She

then wrote a letter to General Xue to inform him. General Xue wrote back many times asking him to
come to Ben Tre. My grandmother was ecstatic at having a child. She felt her life had a purpose, and she
showered my mother with all her love and energy. Then one day in the middle of summer 1932, a
telegram arrived saying that General Xue was seriously ill and ordering her to bring their daughter to see
him at once. The tone made it clear that this time my grandmother should not refuse.
My grandmother hired a horse-drawn cart and drove north along a bumpy, dusty road to General
Xue's mansion, which lay about twenty miles away. She was with her sister and my mother. When she
first saw the mansion, she was overwhelmed by its grandeur. There was a front gate guarded by armed
men. As the cart passed through the outer gate into an inner yard my grandmother could see only a huge
blank wall facing her. There was also a second gate so that strangers could not see into one's property,
also making it impossible for assailants to shoot or charge directly through the front gate. A servant took
my grandmothers child away when she passed through the inner gate. Another servant led her to General
Xues wife. How she addressed the wife showed her place in the hierarchy of the household as a mere sub
mistress closer to a higher form of servant than to a wife.
My grandmother was terrified because as a concubine, her whole future and that of her daughter
were in jeopardy. She had no rights. If General Xue died, she would be at the mercy of the wife, who had
the power of life and death over her. She could do anything she wanted. She could sell her to a rich man,
which was quite common. Then my grandmother would never see her daughter again. She then decided
that they had to get away as fast as possible.
My grandmother was never allowed to leave the walled precincts. Meanwhile, she began to get
closer to number-two concubine. My grandmother discovered that she had instructed the servants to treat
her well, which made her situation much easier. After a month, my grandmother went to see the general's
wife and told her she needed to go home to fetch some clothes. The wife permitted her but when my
grandmother asked if she could take her daughter to say goodbye to her grandparents, she refused. The
Xue bloodline could not be taken out of the house. She then find a way to take her daughter out of the
house with her. She succeeded and was out of the reach of the household of Xue. She asked an old school
friend if she could hide my mother. The friend lives in the house of her father-in-law, a Manchu doctor
called Dr. Xia, who was well known as a kindly man who would never turn anyone away or betray a
friend. After a short time, my grandmother went back to Ben Tre with my mother. Then a telegram
arrived informing her that General Xue had died, and that she was expected at Can Tho immediately for
the funeral. My grandmother ignored it and refused to go to funeral. About a week later, her parents
received a letter from General Xue's wife. My grandfather's last words had been to give my grandmother

her freedom. My grandmother then, at the age of twenty four is now free. My great grandfather saw my
grandmother as a bad luck, so he wanted her out of the house. He constantly tells her to remarry, but there
was nowhere for her to go. She had no place to live, and she was not allowed to get a job. After a time,
unable to stand the pressure, she had a nervous breakdown. The Manchu doctor that was called in was Dr.
Xia, in whose house my mother had been hidden three years before, after the escape from General Xue's
mansion. He was an elderly man in the age of 61. When he first walked into her room, he was so struck
by her beauty. It is Dr. Xia to whom my grandmother poured out her grief. It was the first time she felt
she was understood. The two eventually fell in love, and Dr. Xia proposed. Moreover, he told my
grandmother that he wanted her to be his proper wife, and to bring my mother up as his own daughter. My
grandmother accepted, with tears of joy. Her father was also happy, although he was quick to point out to
Dr. Xia that he would not be able to provide any dowry. Dr. Xia told his sons about his plans and they all
disagree. My grandmother was not treated well by Dr. Xias family. My mother was always bullied
during her childhood at Dr. Xias house. Her closest friends were pets.
Then one day, the Americans entered Vietnam and they went on a rampage. The town where the
Xias live was badly hit. Dr. Xia now had to start again from the bottom. He could only afford to rent a
very small house for my grandmother and mother. My grandmother had never experienced such poverty,
but this was the happiest time of her life. Dr. Xia loved her, and she had her daughter with her all the
time. She gained many friends in the neighborhood, which was something new for her. As the wife of a
doctor she was respected, even though he was not well off. After years of being humiliated and treated as
chattel, she was now truly surrounded by freedom. Gradually, Dr. Xia builds his reputation as a famous
doctor in the country.
Early in 1938, my mother was nearly seven. She was very bright, and very keen to study. Her
parents decided that she should start schooling. Education was tightly controlled by the Americans,
especially the history and ethics courses. But my mother was considered a star pupil. The Americans
continued to control the country. The companies and factories were down. The American troops had
always been in control of the actions of the Vietnamese. Some of the Vietnamese however did not lose
hope and they silently formed a group to fight with these American troops. My mother at the age of
fifteen began working at the Communist Party of Vietnam. She also worked as a university teacher. At
the time the Americans had been in control of the food of the people, many students took a stand and
demonstrated their anger to the Americans. Troops opened fire and many of the students were injured,
some seriously, and a number were killed. When the news reached Ben Tre, my mother immediately
decided to organize support for the students. She called a meeting of the heads of the student unions of all
the seven high and technical schools, which voted to set up the Jinzhou Federation of Student Unions. My

mother was elected to the chair. As the Revolution progressed, her work for the party helped her rise
through the ranks. She had experienced many struggles for being a member of the group. My mother had
been a very active member to the point that he was imprisoned by these American troops. She helped in
order for the American troops to experience difficulty in recruiting Vietnamese. She was caught. She was
forced to speak and to tell all that she knows but she remained silent.
Then she met a man named Wang Yu, high-ranking officer. They fell in love and were soon
married. They have different statuses and were not allowed to spend much time together. They were
transferred to Dong Ha. My mother then traveled on foot because of her rank while my father rode on a
jeep. On that time, my mother was pregnant but my father was not aware that she is. After reaching their
destination, my mother went through military training. Because of that, she suffered a miscarriage. My
father was very guilty of being insensitive of my mothers needs. Thereafter he took good care of my
mother. After some time, my mother got pregnant again. I was born and my mother gave birth to another
four children.
As I was growing up, I was opened to the revolution that was happening in my country. I also
became a member of the communist party fighting for the freedom of our country. My father became the
target of the American troops for being very vocal about the objectives of the group. My parents were
condemned. They were always the subject of public meetings and torture. Our family experienced
hardships. We live a very tough life. The moment that awakened me most was when my father and my
mother was tormented and brutally killed by the American soldiers. My siblings and I mourned to death.
The power of the Americans over the country gradually weakened. The Vietnamese government soon fell
into place. I studied and tried hard to gain a place in the university. I was known for my skills. Thereafter,
I was able to occupy a position in the government. And now, I am serving my country holding my
parents values in my actions and decisions.