China Books

'I have been in social gatherings where people have criticised the Chinese quite rudely and then, half-heartedly apologised when they remembered my husband was Chinese. I tell myself I wouldn?t want to be friends with people who are so narrow-minded. Having said that, I confess there are traits of Asian culture that I find ?unusual? and I joke about them with friends and family. A friend who is also married to a Chinese says she is so glad you have written a book about marriages such as ours!' - English wife of Chinese manager 'It was such a good idea to do research on Chinese-Caucasian marriages. When my Chinese husband and I, an American, first married in the United States and went to Hong Kong in 1973, I rarely saw another ?mixed? couple. Now there are many of us. However, very little research has been done about ?us.? So I appreciate your efforts' - American wife of Chinese businessman Up to World War Two, Western-Chinese inter-marriage was not accepted in ?polite? society, neither by the British nor by the Chinese. Nevertheless Ho Kai (later Sir Kai Ho Kai) of Hong Kong did marry Alice Walkden, in London, in 1881. There are those who believe this was the first Anglo-Chinese marriage ever. It took place in racist, Victorian Society when views contrasted strikingly with those held by most people today. Examples of Western-Chinese marriages, post World War Two, include the late Bruce Lee, the late Sir Piers Jacobs, Sir Jimmy McGregor, Jack Edwards and Elsie Tu. One could go on. While a certain amount has been written about Blacks married to Whites, and Whites to Pakistani, and so on, next to nothing has been written about Westerners married to Chinese. Researched and written by Dr Dan Waters who can claim approaching half a century of actual experience in such a marriage, One Couple Two Cultures comes in the age when globalisation accentuates; intermarriage may well become a social phenomenon of the twenty-first century. Westerners and their Chinese spouses frequently hold opposing opinions and beliefs raised on different codes of conduct and varying lifestyles. After marriage what sort of lifestyles do such couples lead? There can be compatibility and communication problems, not just with each other, but also with in-laws and partners? friends. What cuisines do they prefer? How do they raise their Eurasian children? One Couple Two Cultures highlights information provided by eighty-one Western-Chinese couples whose answers varied considerably, although there are people who believe that a successful marriage can depend as much on smelly gorgonzola cheese or fomented Shanghainese bean curd as on the actual compatibility of the spouses themselves. There are those who believe a Western-Chinese marriage is no different, say, to a blond marrying a red-head, although there are others saying two sometimes antagonistic cultures inevitably add heat to the mix and an added dimension to marriage. Dr Deric Daniel (Dan) Waters was born in 1920, in Norwich (UK), city of pubs and churches. He fought in the Second World War as a Desert Rat in North Africa and later in Italy, including in the invasions of Salerno and Anzio.He was Mentioned in Despatches and wounded three times. After hostilities ceased he returned to the family construction business established by his great-grandfather in 1853. He became managing director. But the Far East beckoned and, in 1954, he joined the Colonial Service and set sail for Hong Kong. He taught building technology at what is now the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, became Principal of a technical institute and, later, was transferred to the Headquarters of the Education Department to work in educational planning and administration. In 1981 he was made a Companion of the Imperial Service Order by Her Majesty the Queen. He is currently Immediate Past President of the Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch, and he served on a number of committees including the Government Antiquities Advisory Board for eight years. He was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star, in 1998, by the Hong Kong SAR Government for his work in heritage conservation. (For this item please quote stock ID 25755) ISBN: 9789889761004

'Essential reading for all adoptive parents' - Susan Freivalds, Executive Director of Adoptive Families of America Contains: >Infancy through adulthood >Nurturing positive identity >Building a healthy family >Talking about birth parents >International, Interracial & Same-Race Adoptions (For this item please quote stock ID 21088) ISBN: 9780824515140