A Book That Inspired Travel to China

Stoneware Chinese Woman figurine Jin-Yuan Dynasty 13-14th Century

Inspiration to Travel to China

by Guest Writer, Ashley Bruckbauer

Destination: China

Book: Pavilion of Women by Pearl Buck

Several years ago, while still a college student, I spent a summer reading through a massive pile of historical fiction set in various locales and time periods.  One that particularly struck a chord was Pearl Buck’s Pavilion of Women.

Buck is famous for her earlier and much more well-known The Good Earth (1931), which made her the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature when it was awarded the honor in 1932.  Though Pavilion of Women has for the most part fallen into the shadow of this earlier iconic work, the poignancy of its message is likely as deeply felt by women today as it was over 60 years ago.

At the time I read Pavilion of Women I was an art history major who knew she wanted to one day be an art history professor but still wasn’t sure in what area she would specialize.  I had flirted briefly with ancient Egyptian art, Meso-american art, and 19th century French art.  However, upon reading several historical fictions whose narratives centered on women’s roles in late- and post-Imperial China, I was sold on the idea of becoming a specialist in Chinese art from these periods.

Was this because of the exquisite descriptions of the traditional Chinese art forms from these periods?  No.  In fact, none of the books I read that summer explored the visual arts.  It was the details interwoven into the narratives about daily life in the “inner-chambers” or women’s quarters– full of stories about  tradition, pride, and sorrow– that stayed with me long after I had read the final chapters.  I was enchanted and intrigued upon entering a world so different from my own– a complex world adhering to a strict order.

The lives of the fictional women within these narratives (which I will note were almost all members the upper-classes) involved not only what is viewed today as the “hardships” of foot binding, concubines, and living in a patriarchal society but also strong friendships, the power associated with running a household, and  hierarchical familial relationships in which they were near the top.  Pavilion of Women stands as a paragon, being perhaps one of the most beautifully executed works to illustrate the nuances of the life of a Chinese woman.

However, just as, if not more, important in considering the impact of this book upon my life and my ultimate decision to strive towards becoming an Asianist is Pearl Buck’s own personal history.  She was born in America to Presbyterian missionaries.  Her family moved to China when she was only an infant, and she spent much of her early life there, eventually becoming a university professor, until she was forced to leave the country in 1932 due to the revolution.

She spent her remaining 40 years in the United States and wrote a total of 85 books during her lifetime, many of which were dedicated to China-related subjects.  Additionally, she was an outspoken human rights activist who consistently reinforced the idea of the universality of mankind and explored topics such as women’s rights, Asian cultures, and immigration.  The parallels between her passions and my own for intercultural dialogue and exchange between Asia and the “West”, history, and writing are striking.

She offers a truly unique point of view as a woman deeply involved in two seemingly paradoxical cultures that speaks to my own journey as a young American woman studying Chinese art history and soon moving abroad to teach English in China.  Not only did Pavilion of Women inspire me to pursue Chinese art history, but Pearl Buck herself has inspired me to shed the skin of “observer” and fully immerse myself in Chinese culture as an active participant.

Photograph by Mary Harrasch from Flickr through Creative Commons

Ashley Bruckbauer, La Vie en China

Ashley is a recent college grad and avid art historian researching 18th and 19th century French and late-Imperial Chinese art history.  Her goal is to eventually become a university professor of art history, facilitating intercultural understanding between Asia and the United States.  She intends to soon depart for Shanghai, China where she will be teaching English to kindergartners while learning first-hand as much as possible about the Chinese people, culture, and language.

You can see more from her on Twitter @ashleyindallas or on her personal travel blog La Vie en China.

WOW! Thank you Ashley for bringing us your book choice that inspired your travel–and changed the direction of your life, it seems. I’m hoping that I will be able to set aside time to read Pearl Buck’s lesser known book on China, instead of re-reading The Good Earth. I appreciate your taking the time to share your choice of travel literature with us here at A Traveler’s Library, and encourage people to follow your blog, La Vie en China, which has been added to my favorites page.

Do you also have a book that inspired your travel? Would you like to write about it here? Let me know at vmb@atravelerslibrary.com

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Tags: China, guest post, historical fiction, Nobel Prize, Pearl Buck, The Good Earth, travel literature