Belle Yang interview
We didn't receive our cue from the Washington Post when they called Belle Yang, our special guest, a "Woman Warrior" in their feature on her.
And we didn't bother to find out that Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, described Ms. Yang's writing and illustrations as "so true and pure, it is capable of washing away the grimy layers of cynicism, the dust of ennui, the greasiness of business."
Nor did we even consider our very own Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston, when she said, "Beautiful! Belle Yang sees old China and new China...and brings us those worlds in art and story."
Simply from her life experiences and from our discussions with her, we already know Belle Yang is the real deal, our new Woman Warrior.
By growing up a poor immigrant, achieving the valedictorian title of her high school class, surviving a physically-abusive boyfriend, experiencing the Tiananmen Square Massacre firsthand, and finally realizing her true calling despite early rejections, Belle Yang understands the ups and downs of life. Through her words and artwork, Ms. Yang recounts her and her family's stories of success and hardships -- facing them in steadfast manner.
Everyone who is interested in Chinese culture should read Baba: A Return to China Upon My Father's Shoulders and The Odyssey of a Manchurian, wonderfully illustrated non-fiction books for adults. Who wouldn't benefit from understanding through beautiful art one person's struggle in early 20th century China, complicated by traditional family expectations, the Japanese occupation, the Nationalist push, and the eventual Communist rule.
For the young and young-at-heart, Always Come Home to Me and Hannah Is My Nameadd a unique, Chinese approach to children literature. Sonshi.com's Chief Founder has already ordered both books so he and his child can read them together.
Born in Taiwan, Belle Yang spent part of her childhood in Japan. At age seven she immigrated to the United States with her family. She attended Stirling University in Scotland, graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in biology but went on to study art at Pasadena Art Center College of Design and the Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting.
You can learn more about Ms. Yang at BelleYang.com. Also you can view her original artwork at Hauk Fine Arts located in Pacific Grove, California, as well as watch a documentary about her at Mac + Ava Motion Pictures.
Below is our interview with author and artist Belle Yang.
Sonshi.com: We understand you translated The Art of War for your own use. What are your thoughts on Sun Tzu's overall philosophy?
Yang: I think I will answer your question in a round about way. I began studying Sun-Tzu at the suggestion of my father. My father walked over one thousand miles to escape Chinese Communism and came to know the world as a dangerous place. He saw his daughter, brought to the United States at a young age, entirely oblivious to the perils around her.
I used to resent my father’s constant reminders to be careful, not to trust too easily and readily. I didn’t believe him until I was stalked by an abusive ex-boyfriend. Then I left for China, seeking a haven, only to see the rise of the Democracy movement and its brutal quelling in the Tiananmen Massacre. When I returned home to my parents after those harrowing days, my father’s words of warning about the world had become real for me. I started to translate “The Art of War” from the Chinese with his help. Sun Tsu’s overall philosophy is weighted toward defense, not offense. I study “The Art of War” to protect myself.
Sonshi.com: You graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in biology. When and why did you decide to go instead into art and writing?
Yang: During my junior year abroad, I took winter break to travel through Europe. I was carrying a huge physics book at the bottom of my backpack so I could study for the MCATs in order to apply to medical school. I threw that book away as I crossed from Algeciras into Morocco. I had fallen in love with art and architecture in my travels and vowed I would go into the arts. I began writing in earnest after the Tiananmen Massacre, having seen my China-born friends silenced. I returned vowing not to waste this gift known as the freedom of expression.
Sonshi.com: The story of your great grandfather is fascinating. Would you mind recounting his story for our readers, and perhaps touch upon your upcoming work, "Forget Sorrow"?
Yang: My great grandfather was a self-made man, rising from apprenticeship in a grain brokerage in Manchuria to become the proprietor of his own brokerage. He gave control of the land to his third son—the most venal and greedy of his four sons. When the Communists arrived, this favorite son was branded “Landowner,” trussed up like a pig and carted off to Education Through Reform in the wilds of Manchuria, there to die and to be buried in a mass grave.
Great Grandfather was swept out of his estate and wandered a beggar for years. I imagine he slept in abandoned monasteries, huddled around fires at night with other vagrants or his friend, the village idiot and seer, Yuan. His Fourth Son, living in Inner Mongolia, would not take the old man in. This son carried his feverish father on his back, put him on a train headed for Manchuria.
Great Grandfather had a falling out with my grandfather, his Eldest, so he arrived at last, near death, at his eldest son’s door. My grandfather and grandmother did take him in but the patriarch of the House of Yang died, mumbling, “What did we do to deserve this? I have treated people well, all my life.” My grandfather could only say, “We are Buddhist, dear father, the hardships are put in our path to bring enlightenment.”
I have been working on “Forget Sorrow: A China Elegy” for the past 11 years, first as a prose book with art, and now in graphic novel format, which will be published by WW Norton and Company in 2010 or 2011.
Sonshi.com: Most Americans have heard of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but probably not to the horrific extent you and your friends personally witnessed (you were studying in Beijing at the time). What should every American need to know about that event?
Yang: The students and the citizens of Beijing and the larger population were not demanding the removal of the current regime. They were asking for voice, participation and an end to corruption. Most of all, Americans must understand that this sort of carnage can happen all over again, in spite of the outward modernization of the PRC. A few skyscrapers in the big cities are only the facade. The greed and evil runs very deep.
Sonshi.com: You have the rare privilege of experiencing both Eastern and Western cultures directly. What do you think is the main difference between the Eastern mind and the Western mind? What is the main similarity?
Yang: The answer would take volumes to reply. I’ll speak only of one aspect and keep to China. China is a huge bureaucracy, whether in government, in the family structure, at work and even in the afterlife, hell is stratified and run by judges. In the family, brothers and sisters are differentiated by elder or younger. Terms for uncles and aunts are differentiated by younger and older, and whether they belong to the father’s or the mother’s side of the family.
Having grown up an only child in America with no relatives, I was very confused as to how to call my relatives. Honor goes immediately to the elder. And, lastly, the unit, whether it is country, work unit or family, the group takes precedence before the individual.
Sonshi.com: What is the typical day like for you, a writer and an artist? Any words of advice for aspiring writers and artists?
Yang: I don’t have a typical day because my activities vary. I don’t get to bed until long past midnight. I like to take my parents for exercise in the evening.
My word of advice for creative people? Find a niche that can’t be filled except by you. I am an immigrant and have learned from my parents to find a quiet space, where I can be left alone to do something others cannot do. In my case, I can draw and write, and I have inherited stories from my parents only I can tell, so the graphic novel format for my story, “Forget Sorrow: A China Elegy,” is an uncontested “area of expertise.”
Sonshi.com: Your books are written for children and adults. Would you mind sharing one or two memorable feedback you've received from readers (your "Always Come Home to Me" recently won Best Picture Book of 2008 from the Chinese American Librarians Association), and who do you think would benefit most from your books?
Yang: I have heard from different friends who, while on vacation, meet up with strangers who tell them excitedly about a book or books they must simply read. My friends keep their mouths shut and ultimately reveal that they are friends or neighbors of mine. I hope my books for young and old will be interesting to the general public and should be especially meaningful for those with a yearning to understand China culture. I am fully bicultural, so I deem myself a trustworthy guide. My picture books have found a ready audience among the families who have adopted Chinese daughters.
[End of interview]
And we didn't bother to find out that Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, described Ms. Yang's writing and illustrations as "so true and pure, it is capable of washing away the grimy layers of cynicism, the dust of ennui, the greasiness of business."
Nor did we even consider our very own Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston, when she said, "Beautiful! Belle Yang sees old China and new China...and brings us those worlds in art and story."
Simply from her life experiences and from our discussions with her, we already know Belle Yang is the real deal, our new Woman Warrior.
By growing up a poor immigrant, achieving the valedictorian title of her high school class, surviving a physically-abusive boyfriend, experiencing the Tiananmen Square Massacre firsthand, and finally realizing her true calling despite early rejections, Belle Yang understands the ups and downs of life. Through her words and artwork, Ms. Yang recounts her and her family's stories of success and hardships -- facing them in steadfast manner.
Everyone who is interested in Chinese culture should read Baba: A Return to China Upon My Father's Shoulders and The Odyssey of a Manchurian, wonderfully illustrated non-fiction books for adults. Who wouldn't benefit from understanding through beautiful art one person's struggle in early 20th century China, complicated by traditional family expectations, the Japanese occupation, the Nationalist push, and the eventual Communist rule.
For the young and young-at-heart, Always Come Home to Me and Hannah Is My Nameadd a unique, Chinese approach to children literature. Sonshi.com's Chief Founder has already ordered both books so he and his child can read them together.
Born in Taiwan, Belle Yang spent part of her childhood in Japan. At age seven she immigrated to the United States with her family. She attended Stirling University in Scotland, graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in biology but went on to study art at Pasadena Art Center College of Design and the Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting.
You can learn more about Ms. Yang at BelleYang.com. Also you can view her original artwork at Hauk Fine Arts located in Pacific Grove, California, as well as watch a documentary about her at Mac + Ava Motion Pictures.
Below is our interview with author and artist Belle Yang.
Sonshi.com: We understand you translated The Art of War for your own use. What are your thoughts on Sun Tzu's overall philosophy?
Yang: I think I will answer your question in a round about way. I began studying Sun-Tzu at the suggestion of my father. My father walked over one thousand miles to escape Chinese Communism and came to know the world as a dangerous place. He saw his daughter, brought to the United States at a young age, entirely oblivious to the perils around her.
I used to resent my father’s constant reminders to be careful, not to trust too easily and readily. I didn’t believe him until I was stalked by an abusive ex-boyfriend. Then I left for China, seeking a haven, only to see the rise of the Democracy movement and its brutal quelling in the Tiananmen Massacre. When I returned home to my parents after those harrowing days, my father’s words of warning about the world had become real for me. I started to translate “The Art of War” from the Chinese with his help. Sun Tsu’s overall philosophy is weighted toward defense, not offense. I study “The Art of War” to protect myself.
Sonshi.com: You graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in biology. When and why did you decide to go instead into art and writing?
Yang: During my junior year abroad, I took winter break to travel through Europe. I was carrying a huge physics book at the bottom of my backpack so I could study for the MCATs in order to apply to medical school. I threw that book away as I crossed from Algeciras into Morocco. I had fallen in love with art and architecture in my travels and vowed I would go into the arts. I began writing in earnest after the Tiananmen Massacre, having seen my China-born friends silenced. I returned vowing not to waste this gift known as the freedom of expression.
Sonshi.com: The story of your great grandfather is fascinating. Would you mind recounting his story for our readers, and perhaps touch upon your upcoming work, "Forget Sorrow"?
Yang: My great grandfather was a self-made man, rising from apprenticeship in a grain brokerage in Manchuria to become the proprietor of his own brokerage. He gave control of the land to his third son—the most venal and greedy of his four sons. When the Communists arrived, this favorite son was branded “Landowner,” trussed up like a pig and carted off to Education Through Reform in the wilds of Manchuria, there to die and to be buried in a mass grave.
Great Grandfather was swept out of his estate and wandered a beggar for years. I imagine he slept in abandoned monasteries, huddled around fires at night with other vagrants or his friend, the village idiot and seer, Yuan. His Fourth Son, living in Inner Mongolia, would not take the old man in. This son carried his feverish father on his back, put him on a train headed for Manchuria.
Great Grandfather had a falling out with my grandfather, his Eldest, so he arrived at last, near death, at his eldest son’s door. My grandfather and grandmother did take him in but the patriarch of the House of Yang died, mumbling, “What did we do to deserve this? I have treated people well, all my life.” My grandfather could only say, “We are Buddhist, dear father, the hardships are put in our path to bring enlightenment.”
I have been working on “Forget Sorrow: A China Elegy” for the past 11 years, first as a prose book with art, and now in graphic novel format, which will be published by WW Norton and Company in 2010 or 2011.
Sonshi.com: Most Americans have heard of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but probably not to the horrific extent you and your friends personally witnessed (you were studying in Beijing at the time). What should every American need to know about that event?
Yang: The students and the citizens of Beijing and the larger population were not demanding the removal of the current regime. They were asking for voice, participation and an end to corruption. Most of all, Americans must understand that this sort of carnage can happen all over again, in spite of the outward modernization of the PRC. A few skyscrapers in the big cities are only the facade. The greed and evil runs very deep.
Sonshi.com: You have the rare privilege of experiencing both Eastern and Western cultures directly. What do you think is the main difference between the Eastern mind and the Western mind? What is the main similarity?
Yang: The answer would take volumes to reply. I’ll speak only of one aspect and keep to China. China is a huge bureaucracy, whether in government, in the family structure, at work and even in the afterlife, hell is stratified and run by judges. In the family, brothers and sisters are differentiated by elder or younger. Terms for uncles and aunts are differentiated by younger and older, and whether they belong to the father’s or the mother’s side of the family.
Having grown up an only child in America with no relatives, I was very confused as to how to call my relatives. Honor goes immediately to the elder. And, lastly, the unit, whether it is country, work unit or family, the group takes precedence before the individual.
Sonshi.com: What is the typical day like for you, a writer and an artist? Any words of advice for aspiring writers and artists?
Yang: I don’t have a typical day because my activities vary. I don’t get to bed until long past midnight. I like to take my parents for exercise in the evening.
My word of advice for creative people? Find a niche that can’t be filled except by you. I am an immigrant and have learned from my parents to find a quiet space, where I can be left alone to do something others cannot do. In my case, I can draw and write, and I have inherited stories from my parents only I can tell, so the graphic novel format for my story, “Forget Sorrow: A China Elegy,” is an uncontested “area of expertise.”
Sonshi.com: Your books are written for children and adults. Would you mind sharing one or two memorable feedback you've received from readers (your "Always Come Home to Me" recently won Best Picture Book of 2008 from the Chinese American Librarians Association), and who do you think would benefit most from your books?
Yang: I have heard from different friends who, while on vacation, meet up with strangers who tell them excitedly about a book or books they must simply read. My friends keep their mouths shut and ultimately reveal that they are friends or neighbors of mine. I hope my books for young and old will be interesting to the general public and should be especially meaningful for those with a yearning to understand China culture. I am fully bicultural, so I deem myself a trustworthy guide. My picture books have found a ready audience among the families who have adopted Chinese daughters.
[End of interview]