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MonkeyNotes-The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Historical Information
The Kitchen GodÂ’s Wife is a tale told by a mother to a daughter
and has strong undercurrents of warfare and invasion. Most of
the details of the attacks mentioned by Amy Tan are true.
Without the historical factual detail, the story would have been
reduced to nothing but banter between two women. The facts of
Chinese history play an important role in shaping the personality
of the prime character, Winnie.
Revolutions mark the Chinese history, in the twentieth century.
A shift of power is seen when there is a change from the
monarchical system to the communist system. The facts that are
relevant in building up the story are - Establishment of the
Chinese Republic in 1912. In 1923, Sun Yat-sen, the then leader
of the Republic unites the Kuomintang soldiers with the help of
budding communists. The death of Sun-Yat-Sen in 1925 is a
severe blow to the communists who are then mercilessly
massacred by Chiang Kai-Shek. He takes over the leadership and
becomes the sole dictator over China. The struggles between the
communist and Kuomintang factions in China continue and this
helps the Japanese to enter into the Chinese territory. Gradually,
they establish their supremacy over China. In 1932, Japan
bombards the city of Shanghai. In order to combat the Japanese,
Chiang Kai-Shek becomes the commander of the whole of the
Chinese armed forces. In a major development in 1937, the
communists and Kuomintang unite to fight back against the
Japanese. To assist their war operations, a group of the American
force - Flying Tigers - is formed. In 1941, the Japanese bombard
Pearl Harbor and in retaliation the Chinese counter attack. The
Japanese are defeated by 1944 and are compelled to put an end to
their imperialist tendency. The Chinese have won the war against
the Japanese with the help of the US para-military force. But the
internal problems within China still persist. In 1947, Civil war
begins between the communists and the Nationalists, which
ultimately leads to the Communist party reigning over China. All
migrations from China are restricted. With the supremacy of the
Communist government in China, a major shift is seen in the
political and social scenario.
The novel is set against the backdrop of a strife-ridden China,
which is the result of the political instability in the country.
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