Abstract
A harmonious family of three generations living under one roof is often an assumed image of a Chinese traditional family. In reality, few Chinese families resemble this image. My article uses the Chung family history to illustrate how a family in rural Guangdong, South China, experienced a fast social ascent or descent in one generation. Its history reveals many aspects of Chinese family tradition, such as filial piety, equal inheritance system among sons, or education as an important family agenda. The rise and fall of this family also helps us understand the competitive social environment of Guangdong that sent hundreds of thousand immigrants overseas in the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century. When some members of the Chung family migrated overseas, other members followed. The Chung lineage, similar to numerous Cantonese immigrant families in America, became transnational in culture.
Highlights
A harmonious family of three generations living under one roof is often an assumed image of a Chinese family
While women did household chores, men toiled in carefully cultivated tiny rice fields in self-sufficient farming. This image stands for inadaptability and the changeless nature of Chinese family culture
The rise and fall of the Chung family are more than a tale of family feuds over property
Summary
A harmonious family of three generations living under one roof is often an assumed image of a Chinese family. While women did household chores, men toiled in carefully cultivated tiny rice fields in self-sufficient farming This image stands for inadaptability and the changeless nature of Chinese family culture. The rise and fall of the Chung family are more than a tale of family feuds over property It shows how Chinese families negotiated and adapted to the competitive economic and social environment of Guangdong in the 19th century. Similar to many immigrant families from Guangdong, the Chung family became transnational in life and culture. Yitang and Sam worked hard to support the family. As parents, they made sure their children could get a good education. The Chung family lived in Niushan (Cattle Hill) Village, Kaiping County.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
