THIS IS A STORY OF A JOURNEY SPANNING FOUR GENERATIONS OF CHINESE WOMEN AND THREE CHINESE REVOLUTIONS AND CULTURAL CLASHES. THESE WOMEN FAUGHT FOR THEIR LIVES, EXPERIENCED ABANDONMENT, STARVATION, HOMELESSNESS AND WERE OSTRACIZED BY THEIR OWN FAMILIES. MY GUEST IS A COLUMNIST FOR THE SANTA MONICA STAR AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK “ONCE OUR LIVES.” CHING SUN STUBIS IS JOINING US FROM THE WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN AREA TO SHARE STORIES OF HER MOTHER “YEN” WHO WAS ABANDONED BY HER OWN FAMILY BECAUSE SHE WAS A BABY GIRL BORN IN CHINA. CHING HAS MANY LESSONS THAT SHE LEARNED FROM HER MOTHER INCLUDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EDUCATION AND READING, THE VALUE OF BEING RESOURCEFUL AND SO MUCH MORE. QIN SHARES THAT SHE FELT AS THOUGH HER MOTHER'S SPIRIT WAS VERY CLOSE TO HER WHILE WRITING THIS LIFE STORY, THOUGH SHE HAD PASSED YEARS PRIOR. MY GUEST REMEMBERED MANY MANY DETAILS THAT HER MOTHER THOUGHT WOULD POSSIBLY BE FORGOTTEN OVER TIME.
"MY MOTHER SURVIVED WITH NOTHING WITH FOUR DAUGHTERS AND NOT KNOWING WHERE HER HUSBAND WAS IN PRISONED. QIN WAS HER PARTNER IN TRYING TO PROVIDE FOR THE FOUR CHILDREN. QIN'S OLDER SISTER WAS VISUALLY DISABLED SO QIN TOOK ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING THE ELDEST.
YAN, WAS BEING TUTORED IN EDUCATIONAL LESSONS INITIALLY BY HER ADOPTED GRANDFATHER. EVENTUALLY SHE BROKE AWAY FROM HER CONSERVATIVE GRANDFATHER AND WENT TO A PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL BEHIND HER GRANDFATHER'S BACK AND BECAME A CLASSICAL OPERA SINGER. SHE CHOSE THE NAME "YAN" WHICH TRANSLATES TO "SWALLOW" AS IN THE BIRD, BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO BE FREE AND FLY AWAY FROM THE CONSERVATIVE RESTRAINTS OF HER FAMILY. "SHE WAS YOUNG AND A SPUNKY WOMAN" SHARES STUBIS, "THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS CALLING FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO GO TO WESTERN CHINA.
THIS WAS DURING THE GREAT FAMINE. VERY HARD TO FIND WORK AND FEED YOUR FAMILY. CHINA WAS STILL A VERY YOUNG COUNTRY AND VERY UNORGANIZED.YAN WAS IN SHANGHAI AND HAD TO WORK IN A FACTORY DURING THE DAY AND LEAVE QIN AND HER OLDER SISTER ALONE IN SHANTI TOWN BY THEMSELVES WHEN QIN WAS TWO YEARS OLD. QUITE THE DELEMA FOR A SINGLE MOTHER. SHE WAS VERY RESOURCEFUL AND PAWNED MORE OF HER POSSESSIONS IN ORDER TO FEED HER DAUGHTERS.
YAN PASSED AT 69 YEARS OLD IN CHINA BUT SHE DID GET TO HOLD HER GRAN DAUGHTER A FEW TIMES BEFORE PASSING.
"ONCE OUR LIVES" IS A FASCINATING READ.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/qinsun.stubis
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/qinstubis/
LINKEDIN: linkedin.com/in/qin-sun-stubis-5977011a/
WEBSITE: www.QinSunStubis.com
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@QinSunStubis/featured
QIN SUN STUBIS: "ONCE OUR LIVES"
MS. MAGAZINE's choice for "Reads for the Rest of Us"
GLAMOUR UK Best New Books for June
2023 Gold Winner - Nonfiction Book Awards
2023 First Place Winner - Chanticleer International Book Awards' (CIBAs)
Nellie Bly Awards for Journalistic Nonfiction
2023 Readers' Favorite Book Awards
2023 PenCraft Book Awards #1 winner for literary excellence in culture/history
2023 Best Book Awards winner in cross-genre nonfiction