Eating Bitterness (Review)
Xi 'an: The Perfect Business Model?
The rapid growth of the western Chinese city of Xi 'an can accredit much of its success to the “Great Opening of the West” policy initiated in 2000, yet the policy may have never met fruition without the intricate rural-urban dynamic in place in Xi 'an (Loyalka, 2012, p. 5). Loyalka 's book Eating Bitterness examines eight Chinese families affected by growth of Xi 'an and Xi 'an 's High-Tech Zone, providing insight into the diverse daily lives of the families as well as the constantly evolving codependent relationship between the city and countryside. The city and the countryside are connected by the movement of people, space, money and culture, but Chinese families remain the strongest link as they enable these transfers. This heavy traffic between the the rural and urban cause a strain on the rural Chinese family, yet it is because of these hardworking, persevering families that the city manages to evolve in a transforming China. The new shift in focus to oneself and materialism has created many job opportunities in Xi 'an for both men and women. In this decade, Chinese women visit beauty parlors to improve their health and their appearance. With urban populations now having disposable income and companies such as M. Perfumine hiring young women from the countryside, luxuries such as beauty and cosmetics are becoming available to the middle class (p. 69-70). Teenage girls such as Jia Huan, who have only reached a junior high school education level, find few job opportunities in the city. Jia Huan 's mother believes “[the] beauty industry is good for Jia Huan. As a girl, what else is she going to do? She has no skills” (p. 83). These teenagers have a small chance at surviving in any other “career” where higher education and a wider skill-set are
required. So although there are few employment opportunities with decent pay and housing, especially for women , the primary alternative option for Jia Huan would be returning to
The rapid growth of the western Chinese city of Xi 'an can accredit much of its success to the “Great Opening of the West” policy initiated in 2000, yet the policy may have never met fruition without the intricate rural-urban dynamic in place in Xi 'an (Loyalka, 2012, p. 5). Loyalka 's book Eating Bitterness examines eight Chinese families affected by growth of Xi 'an and Xi 'an 's High-Tech Zone, providing insight into the diverse daily lives of the families as well as the constantly evolving codependent relationship between the city and countryside. The city and the countryside are connected by the movement of people, space, money and culture, but Chinese families remain the strongest link as they enable these transfers. This heavy traffic between the the rural and urban cause a strain on the rural Chinese family, yet it is because of these hardworking, persevering families that the city manages to evolve in a transforming China. The new shift in focus to oneself and materialism has created many job opportunities in Xi 'an for both men and women. In this decade, Chinese women visit beauty parlors to improve their health and their appearance. With urban populations now having disposable income and companies such as M. Perfumine hiring young women from the countryside, luxuries such as beauty and cosmetics are becoming available to the middle class (p. 69-70). Teenage girls such as Jia Huan, who have only reached a junior high school education level, find few job opportunities in the city. Jia Huan 's mother believes “[the] beauty industry is good for Jia Huan. As a girl, what else is she going to do? She has no skills” (p. 83). These teenagers have a small chance at surviving in any other “career” where higher education and a wider skill-set are
required. So although there are few employment opportunities with decent pay and housing, especially for women , the primary alternative option for Jia Huan would be returning to
References: Loyalka, M. D. (2012). Eating Bitterness: Stories from the Front Liens of China 's Great Urban Migration. Berkely: University of California Press.