Shanghai Girls

"We send missionaries to China so that the Chinese people can go to heaven, but we won't let them in our country." ---Pearl S. Buck


There are very few things in life that make me as giddy as the arrival of a new book by an author whose work I adore. Having enjoyed all of Lisa See's novels, and having felt as if I better understood Chinese culture and life through them, I was over the moon when I was called to pick up my copy of "Shanghai Girls" from the library. Lisa See's work is never apologetic about both America's and China's historical shortcomings, nor is she inaccurate in her portrayal of her characters, from both a personal, and a cultural standpoint. In her most recent novel, two 'beautiful girl' sisters, May and Pearl, live a comfortable and multi-cultural life in the international city of Shanghai. The sisters have friends of all nationalities represented in an exceptionally cosmopolitan region. Prized for their beauty and charm, the girls are artists' models for advertising commercials.


Of course, nothing lasts forever. In May and Pearl's case, their dreamy, exotic and open minded life comes crashing to an end, first by their father's bankruptcy, and then by the Japanese invasion of China. May and Pearl learn to depend upon one another, and learn to discover that courage exists even when we don't see it. As the sisters make their way to America, following an arduous, nearly impossible journey, their new life to be as big of a shock as their old one was. Despite having had close American friends in China, the girls discover a country that doesn't want them. They find that, as much as their own home city was welcoming to others, 1930's America's doors are firmly closed to Chinese. What comes as even more of a shock to the sisters is that other Asian nations are not treated with the same disdain and prejudice. Lives of privilege and elegance turn into lives of honor bound hard work. And yet, through all their hardships and unrelenting trials, May and Pearl find success is vastly different areas. Their sisterly bond remains strong and unbroken in front of a backdrop of Los Angeles' Chinatown.



I learned a great deal of history in reading this novel. As a California native, I had not realized the extent of prejudice and bigotry that existed in my home state for decades. Did you know that it was illegal for Chinese to immigrate to America? This dramatic law was put into effect in the 1800's to prevent Chinese works from becoming citizens. Despite the fact that China was America's ally against the Japanese during World War II, there were many lawmakers who felt that Chinese were not to be trusted, either, and to further cement their hostilities, considered all Chinese Americans to be Communist spies. In an extraordinary and unreasonable twist of fate, those brave souls who made it as far as America, and were actually allowed in (rather than deported), were always under suspicion and threat. Most landlords would not rent to Chinese and few could find jobs anywhere other than in Chinatown. Therefore, the Chinese population of California was confined to its Chinatown communities, thousands of people crammed into a 1 square block region. Much like a European Ghetto, these enforced communities gave outsiders the idea that Chinese wanted to be a separate country, adding further fuel to an already hot burning fire of mistrust. That mistrust quickly became a two-way street, leaving the Chinese population to feel as if they were a people without country.




"Shanghai Girls" is a wonderful novel. It tells the moving and beautiful story of two sisters, and their admirable closeness. Author Lisa See also paints an accurate picture of early to mid-20th century California....a picture rarely seen by anyone outside the Chinese community. In raising awareness, she is helping to keep alive the memory of those who lived this piece of American history. Hopefully, all of America will learn from its past mistakes of intolerance and discrimination. And yet, "Shanghai Girls" is simply a very beautiful read.