Conquering Khan

There are times when I find I am drawn to something, even when I've decided I have no interest in the subject. Take the Orient for example. I have no desire to visit China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan or anywhere in that part of the world. I struggled in elementary school with my Kubla Khan's and Genghis Khan's, always confusing them and getting them mixed up, and I'm quite certain that my disinterest stems from that "trauma". I don't have any similar "stigma" about Japan but there has never been any deep interest.

I like Chinese food...oh certainly the food from local Chinese food restaurants is NOT what a native of China would ever eat...I'm talking Dim Sum where you eat more authentic Chinese fare. I don't love it as I'm not a big fish eater and chicken feet aren't on my gastronomic measuring stick, but I enjoy some of the dishes. Sushi doesn't cut it for me either.

If I'm not interested in the history or the food of a country, it's unlikely that I will ever travel to that spot. The Orient of China and Japan is not on my list of "must see" places in the world.

And yet I read about these places and I enjoy the books. I read James Clavell's "Shogun" many, many years ago and loved it. I read Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" and treasured it. This was Japan of the past and I chose to read these books, knowing what they were about.

Over the last few weeks I have been reading about the Chinese in Vancouver and Shanghai in the 30's and both of these books, by different authors have educated me about the history, the culture, the language and they have entertained me. I still have no desire to visit that part of the world (I have been to Vancouver) but something compelled me to read these books.

I had never read Wayson Choy, a noted Canadian author and after seeing his name pop up randomly (could it really have been so random?) a number of times, I started with his first novel, "The Jade Peony" which I found impressive. I have his second novel "All That Matters" waiting on my nightstand.


I had read Lisa See's "Peony In Love" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and found myself stretching to continue. I wasn't enraptured but I wanted to be and I wanted to be interested in what I was reading. Finishing the two books left me still confused as to why I was drawn to wanting to read them in the first place. Last week I tried Lisa See again, with her new novel "Shanghai Girls" and I read it in one sitting. I enjoyed it that much. This one I understood. This one I connected with. Time in history? Subject matter? Or the fact of having read Wayson Choy and understanding the culture more than I had before? I have no idea. I think my mind was more open to absorbing the knowledge. And maybe I've just decided that those old Khan's aren't going to hold me back any longer!!