Smeared Type

By Jian Ping

Ensler read from her book at U of C

Last Sunday, Eve Ensler came to the University of Chicago to give a talk about her latest book I’m an Emotional Creature—the Secret Life of Girls Around the World. Ensler is the author of The Vagina Monologue and founder of V-Day, a non-for-profit organization advocating against violence against women. The talk was open to the public, so I made my way there.

The theater in the International House was packed, with an audience largely being consisted of students from U of C and women. Ensler, true to her reputation, immediately commanded the attention of the entire group the moment she stepped onto the stage. She was provocative and passionate about the voices and sufferings of young girls around the world. And she talked about V-Day’s work in Congo and other countries where they had changed many women’s lives.

Ensler's latest book: I'm an emotional creature...

She then proceeded to read three sections from I’m an Emotional Creature. She was such a dynamic performer—her stories, fictionalized according to her interviews with 200 girls, were read with such sincerity and feelings that she completely captivated the audience. I heard the sniffing and sobbing around me and found tears surging to my eyes.

But the moment that touched everyone came when people lined up in front of the microphone to make comments or ask questions.

A middle aged woman who volunteers to help abused women praised Ensler for her contribution. She also acknowledged how hard it was to fight the battle.

Ensler at book signing at U of C

A 14-year-old girl, a victim of rape, announced in tears how Ensler’s books and talk had given her the courage to find her own footing; and how she would stop the tears and join the fight to prevent others from becoming rape victims.

A young man, a sophomore at U of C, spoke in shaking voice, asking what he, as a man, could do to help.

Two black women, both victims of sexual abuse, came forward to announce that they founded an organization called Dream Catcher to help sexually abused women and they had been working without pay for months. But with each call for help, they couldn’t quit …

Ensler listened and responded to each of them. When she heard the Dream Cather’s story, she immediately pledged $10,000 of her own money to help. She also asked the audience to donate whatever they could to help.

Tears flowed freely, so was loud applauses.

It was one of the most emotionally charged and inspirational talks I had ever attended!

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. For more information, visit www.mulberrychild.com, www.moraquest.com. Mulberry Child is being developed into a feature-length documentary movie by award-winning director Susan Morgan Cooper and will be released in 2011.

 By Jian Ping

Jim Hahn and me, photo by Dr. Jae Ro

I visited several Rotary Clubs in the greater Chicago area recently, talking about my memoir Mulberry Child and today’s China. Elizabeth, a club member at Barrington, introduced me to Jim at the Korean Club after my appearance at her club.

I exchanged a few emails with Jim and set the date on July 19th. Jim was very detailed oriented and extended his hospitality by picking me up from the Metra Train Station at Arlington Park. We chatted on our way to Woo Lae Oak, a Korean Restaurant where they had their meetings. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that nearly a third of their members were Korean women.

Rotarians at other clubs I had been to were mostly casual. I was amazed to see all the Koreans, men and women, appear in formal attire—men all had a jacket, and some even a tie, in this hot summer day. Each of them came over to make a self introduction as they arrived and addressed me as Ms. Ping. Apparently, they had been well informed of today’s program. I was impressed. I also noticed how extremely polite and friendly they were, not just to me, their guest speaker, but also to one another. One woman, Rose, told me she was not a member, but came specially to hear me talk. We chatted and compared notes on raising children in the U.S.—we certainly had similar experiences.

A Presentation on Mulberry Child

The club meeting started with the ritual of the National Anthem, followed by a pledge, which I always found touching. Then the language changed from English into Korean, beginning with a prayer. I watched Jim take center stage and assumed he was making announcements of their activities. Suddenly, the familiar sound of Jian Ping, Jennifer Hou Kwong, and even Tsingtao Beer caught my attention. I realized he must be introducing me. I smiled. The foreign syllables sounded like music to my ears. I was no stranger to conversations that I couldn’t understand—and they were not even conducted in a foreign language. Over the last decade, my husband and I had spent our Christmas with my in-laws in San Francisco. They spoke Cantonese and Tai Shan dialects, and I spoke Mandarin. Since they knew little English, and my understanding of Cantonese or Tai Shan was next to zero, we smiled and gestured, but couldn’t talk without an interpreter. I learned to fit in without the help of language. The benefit? No conflicts, ever!

At this Korean Club, most of the members knew about the Cultural Revolution or had experienced China firsthand. So I rushed through my talk and left some time for questions. I nodded to the first gentleman who raised his hand. “One, what compelled you to write the book?” he said. “And two, is Tsingtao Beer really started by Germans in China?” Everyone laughed, including me. The two-way dialogue became casual and easy afterward. “Why is it titled Mulberry Child?” “What’s your daughter’s reaction to the book?”…. We carried our conversation over dinner.

I also learned quite a bit about them and their culture. James, who sat next to me, told me about how he learned Chinese characters when he attended school in Korea. “A total of three thousand words,” he said, writing down “天”“heaven” and “地” “earth” in Chinese, but pronounced them in Korean. Brian, who sat across the table asked me the meaning of my name and wrote the correct Chinese characters on a piece of napkin—his handwriting indicated a good training in calligraphy and was much better than mine! Again, I was impressed.

I was honored to sign copies of Mulberry Child for the attendees and found my book bag nearly empty when it was all said and done.

A few members walked me to the door. Rose came over to bid farewell.  “I’m so honored to meet you,” she said, her expression genuine and touching. She had asked me to sign a copy of Mulberry Child to her daughter. We shook hands as if we had known each other for a long time. “Send me an email,” I said to her as we parted our way. “I will,” she said, waving.  

Jim, thank you and your club members for having me. I really enjoyed the unique experience. 

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. Visit www.moraquest.com, www.mulberrychild.com

 I was surprised by the thick yellow envelop handed over by the doorman. The handwriting of Ms. Crescent Kral from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Fairfield, CT on the upper left corner immediately caught my attention. I rushed into the elevator and put aside the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter the moment I stepped into my apartment.

Five or six thumb-sized metallic butterflies, pigeons, and stars in silver, purple and beige color landed on my desk as I opened the envelop. To my surprise, the thick deck of paper was thank you letters from the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students I talked to at St. Thomas Aquinas. The mini creatures flying out of the envelop were from the decoration on Aidan’s note. Another half dozen of them were still glued to the border of her letter. I started reading.

“谢谢您” Three large Chinese characters jumped into view. It was from Brittany. While the note was printed from a word document, the Chinese characters were carefully hand-drawn, surprisingly well written. “Based on what you told us, I’d love to read our book in the future,” she wrote.

I smiled and turned to the next one. “I was very interested in your talk,” Tim wrote. “I think it’s just amazing that you go through so much and still have a positive attitude.”

I want to promote the spirit of resilience through my story and was thrilled they got the message.

“You inspired me to become a better person and appreciate what I have and not what I want more,” Kara wrote.

I eagerly read the letters, one after another. The images of the students listening with interest and raising their hands for questions at my talk emerged in my mind.  

“I was amazed that even though you grew up during a difficult time in Chinese history, you can still love your country,” Mary wrote.

“Even though I can’t comprehend what you endured, I appreciated your story and I am convinced I will read your book.” “The one thing that is unbelievable is that the U.S. did nothing.” “I hope you continue to write good compelling stories for the rest of your life.” I was genuinely touched by their innocence, indignation, and good will.

Nearly every letter was nicely decorated with images—from colorful drawings of the book cover of Mulberry Child, to clippings of mulberry trees, silk worms, the red flag of China or the Red Guards—they all put much thought and effort in their writing.

I wish they have a happy and carefree childhood and they will grow up strong and resilient to overcome all the hurdles in their lives.

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com