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=Jook-Liang=



** Jook-Liang's personal diary #1 **
==== Dear diary, today Poh-Poh again called me useless. It is very hard to be the only girl-child in the Chinese family. I tried to ignore her wards, but it is still annoying me. I do not like the old Chinese traditions. It is not fair that if you were born as a girl you will be treated like a useless thing until you will became as old as Poh-Poh. I do not think that Sekky is less useless than me. Ah, someone is calling for me. See you, my dear diary. ====

==== Dear diary, today is even worse than yesterday. Poh-Poh told me that I got stinky cow feet. I know that she is old, and I should respect her, but it is getting harder for me day after day. How can I become a famous actress as Shirley Temple if I have ugly feet? May be Poh-Poh is trying to make me stronger? I know that she got not a good childhood, from her stories. I think that a lot of problems and the way how everyone treated her as nothing, made her strong enough. That is why she deserves so much respect. Well, I do not want to have the same childhood as she had. I live in Canada, so people should treat me as a normal Canadian girl. I am trying to tell this to Poh-Poh, but her answer is always “you are not Canada, you are China”. May be she is right. I do not want to think about it right now. I hope that my “bandit-prince” will come to me today. He is the only person who can understand me, accept you, my dear diary. Someone is knocking at the door. I hope it is Wong Suk, I have to go. ====

** Jook-Liang's personal dairy #2 **
==== July 21st, 1938 - my bandit prince has just left. I'm so upset. I don't know how to live when he is not here. I hoped that he would tell me that he is going to leave, but he didn't. I still love you and miss you my bandit prince, my monkey ling. I never to forget you. ====

==== July 23rd, 1938 - Pop-Poh annoys me a lot! She sees that I miss him! It seems that she doesn't understand it! She could help me just by keeping silence, but she still calls me useless and she still talks about my bandit prince. But he is mine! I'm the only person who miss him. Nobody could force me to forget you. You gave me so much... I miss you ====

==== July 25th, 1938 - I still hope to see you again. I have no idea if we could meet somewhen. I just want to cry, but I try to be strong. Sometimes I can't stand it and I cry. I'm sorry my bandit prince. I guess you don't want me to cry. Just come, please... I miss you. ====

** Symbols **
==== The key symbol for Jook-Liang is the red ribbons and the taffeta dress. The red ribbons were presented to her by her best friend Wong-Suk. Later Jook-Liang's grandmother Poh-Poh creates beautiful flowers of these ribbons to make Jook-Liang's tap shoes more beautiful. The ribbons are very significant for a little Chinese girl, because she has a lack of attention that family pays to her. In the Chinese culture of those days boys were more valuable than girls. Jook-Liang is treated as an undesired child in her family. Wong-Suk presents her these ribbons to show her that he values her very much. This makes Jook-Liang feel significance in the society. Moreover, the red ribbons symbolize a beauty for Jook-Liang. She wants to be as beautiful as Shirley Temple is. The ribbons helps her to feel more beautiful than she is. In The Jade Peony the red ribbons are a symbol of a significance and a beauty for Jook-Liang. The taffeta dress is very significant for Jook-Liang too. She is Chinese, but she wishes to be Canadian. She founds herself in a third space. When she puts on her dress she founds her skin too yellow. As everybody knows the yellow skin is one the main characteristics of Chinese people. However, the taffeta dress makes her feel as beautiful as Shirley Temple is. The modern style of this dress makes her feel Canadian. The taffeta dress symbolizes a third space and a western society for Jook-Liang. (Roman) ====

** Summary **
==== Jook-Liang was a Chinese girl who was born and brought up in Canada. Jook-Liang being a Chinese-Canadian found it very hard to place her identity. She was in a third space. Poh-Poh, her grandmother wasn't making it any easier for her. Poh-Poh kept on reminding Jook-Liang that girl-children were considered useless in the Chinese culture. Poh-Poh called her useless often. Jook-Liang found it hard accepting the Chinese culture because of all these. She felt unwanted by her culture. Although she loved listening to stories about China, she preferred the Canadian culture were girl-children were not considered useless. But she began to feel better about herself when she became friends with an old Chinese man, Wong-Suk who she first mistook for the mysterious Monkey King in Poh-Poh's stories. Jook-Liang and Wong-Suk became best friends. They did everything together and they went everywhere together. Jook-Liang shared her dreams of being like Shirley Temple with him and Wong-Suk encouraged her to live her dreams. She would even show him dance steps she learned. She always thought their friendship would last forever until one day when Wong-Suk did not come as early as planned. She could not wait to show Wong-Suk the taffeta dress she was wearing and how beautiful the ribbons he gave her looked on her. Wong-Suk finally arrived but he was not smiling as usual. He did not even notice the dress she was wearing. He then told her that he was going back to china with the bone shipment. Jook-Liang felt disappointed. She was reluctant to escort Wong-Suk with the rest of the family but she did. They said quick good-byes and he left. But one thing Jook-Liang knew for sure was that she would miss him dearly and she would never forget him.(Precious) ====

History
The male domination over woman is seen threw Jung sum prespective been affected by many factors specially her grand mother Poh-Poh, because she is obsessed with the Old China life style. First of all Jook-Liang has complex with her sexuality because she feels that she is not wanted by their family since the day of her birth the complex strated. Wen Jook-Lang related her story we can infer the rejection of Poh –Poh wen she says “ Grandmother or Poh-Poh, was going regularly to our family Tong Association Temple on pender Street to pray for a boy” ( 5) She lives on a male dominated society, because they are used to have boys because they thought that they are more useful, Poh-Poh says to her that she is usless and that she dosnt deserve anything, this words affect deeply Poh-Poh confidence because she began to think that she was an error or that she is bad luck for the family. Since the beginning of the story sheJook-Liang introduce her mother as stepmother because Poh-Poh says that that’s the correct way and treatment for her, she marganilized her by forcing her calling her that way and not the way she wants. Stepmother is marganilized to by grandmother and always makes her fell like an ousider in the family. But Jook-Liang found a support for her that motivates her a person tat belive in her: Wong-suk, no matter the diference of ages and believes they became closer and good friends. After Poh-Poh ‘s word of usless Jook-Liang tought “ im not ugly, im not usless”(41) this words shows how Jook-Liang is the strongest enough to belive in her self and try to achieves her goals. (Roberta)