East wind - west wind

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Ostwind - Westwind is a novel by the American author Pearl S. Buck from 1930. The original title is East Wind: West Wind ; the German-language first edition was published in 1934 as a translation by Richard Hoffmann .

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Kuei-lan is a traditionally educated Chinese woman. In the form of a letter or diary, she reports to an unnamed recipient, whom she addresses as her sister, about her married and family life. The narrator was brought up according to Chinese traditions, which she regards as correct at the beginning of the novel, but which she increasingly questions as the plot progresses.

Kuei-lan comes from a wealthy family. She marries the son of a befriended family, to whom she was engaged during her childhood. She never saw him before the wedding day. Her husband studied medicine in the United States. His worldview is shaped by the West. He wants to have an equal relationship with her, which she initially understands as rejection. For the sake of her husband, she ties her lotus feet on. Through him she comes into contact with Europeans. She begins to wear western clothing and increasingly questions her traditional values. When she was expecting a child, she found out about western child rearing.

Kuei-lan has barely seen her older brother since he was moved to the part of the house reserved for husbands and concubines at the age of 9. He married an American while studying. Now he asks the narrator to mediate between him and his parents. The mother does not accept the foreign bride and insists that he must marry a girl from a friendly family to whom he has been engaged for a long time. After the mother's death, there is a break between the father and the brother of the narrator.

Mary, the brother's wife, is eager to familiarize herself with Chinese culture and is learning Mandarin. The young couple move into their own house. Soon after, Mary gives birth to a son who is said to be at home in both cultures. The old nurse, who has already raised the father, enters the service of the young couple. In the family, a concubine has now taken the place of the deceased mother as the first wife. The narrator and Mary become friends.

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