Celebrate the Chinese New Year with these reads
JOBURG – From Ming-Cheau Lin to Yoon Jung Park, check out these books about the Chinese experience in South Africa, and the South African experience in China.
Officially kicked-off on 25 January, the Chinese New Year is set to last until 8 February and this year is the Year of the Rat.
The festival is set to go on for 15 days and to mark the Lunar New Year, Bridge Books has put together a list of books about the Asian experience in Africa, and the African experience in Asian.
Ming-Cheau Lin – Yellow and Confused
Ming-Cheau Lin’s Yellow and Confused receives an honourable mention as a must-read. In the memoir, Ming-Cheau shares her story and journeys to uncover the reasons why yellow people are treated the way they are in a space that doesn’t recognise them as part of the population.
Ufreida Ho – Paper Sons and Daughters
In the 1950s, “paper sons” was the name given to illegal immigrants who bought or borrowed new identities from more established Chinese families. This book follows the life of a stowaway escaping 1950s China who finds South Africa’s streets aren’t really paved with gold.
Yoon Jung Park – A Matter of Honour
Based on a PhD thesis, A Matter of Honour looks at how the Chinese community has changed over time, from being an often-ignored minority to being perceived as wealthy investors as China’s power has grown.
Ming-Cheau Lin – Just Add Rice
Before writing her memoir, Ming-Cheau wrote this gorgeous cookbook, an outgrowth of her food blog butterfingers.co.za. The book is about Taiwanese cuisine, but also about placing those dishes squarely within South Africa’s food heritage.
Linda Human – The Chinese People of South Africa
From Bridge Books’ second-hand shelves, this book was published by Unisa in 1984, based on five years of research about the Chinese community of that time.
Browse through the titles below:
