Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco

Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco by Judy Yung

In Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco, Judy Yung narrates the story of the immigration of Chinese American women in San Francisco, their struggles to maintain their homes and raise their children, their ability to acculturate into a foreign way of life, and how these women were ultimately able to prosper in the United States. Unbound Feet is a multi-layered book, with Yung using her own family history as the starting place for her interest and research into the immigration of Chinese American women. Moreover, the title is a play on the Chinese practice of foot binding which “involved tightly wrapping the feet of young girls with bandages until the arches were broken, the toes permanently bent under toward the heel, and the whole foot compressed to a few inches in length.” The cultural practice of foot binding reinforced Chinese women’s secluded lives by making it difficult for them to walk, thus living a “bound life.” 

Yung takes foot binding and the bound lives it created from China to San Francisco by explaining how these women continued to live oppressed lives in America.  The first generation of immigrants lived especially bound lives because of the “patriarchal control in Chinatown and racism outside.” Chinese American women were wholly subordinate to Chinese men. Chinese women were never able to choose their own spouse, no right to divorce, and no right to remarry under any circumstance. If passage to America were made possible by marriage, the women were expected to stay home, manage the household, and raise the children. “As in China, Chinese women stayed close to home and appeared as little as possible in public.”  

The first generation of immigrants initially met racial and sexual discrimination upon entry and detainment at Angel Island. Pending investigations into their right to land, women like Mai Zhouyi were confined sometimes as long as forty days or more with poor food, no access to family outside Angel Island, and the constant threat of the separation of their families. Despite the hardships faced in Angel Island, Chinese American women who were allowed embarkation did not find streets made of gold. “Although women were still confined to the domestic sphere within the border of Chinatown, their contributions as homemakers, wage earners, and culture bearers made them indispensable partners to their husbands in their struggle for economic survival.” Many women were given opportunities to reshape gender roles at home and in their communities. Some Chinese American women began working outside the home, while it remained common for women to bring in income by sewing at home during the day. 

Yung also argues that the effects of the Great Depression were not felt as harshly on Chinese Americans as it was on other ethnic groups. Chinese women in San Francisco were accustomed to discrimination based on race, gender, and class. Their low position in the labor market allowed them to keep their jobs, even as Chinese men lost theirs. As usual, Chinese American women continued to take care of their homes and children, while many also financially assisted their husbands. It was not uncommon for Chinese American women to become the breadwinners during the Great Depression years. 

Yung maintains that throughout the World War II period Chinese women continued to face socioeconomic challenges, but also assisted in the war effort like many other American women. Rice Bowl parties were thrown across the United States to raise money and spread “propaganda for war relief in China.” Chinese American women were also known to hold receptions for Chinese dignitaries and war heroes as they travelled through San Francisco. Less than fifty years after Chinese women began immigrating to the United States, Chinese American women served their country in the military. Yung points out that for China and the United States, defeating their common enemy in World War II took the efforts of all Americans, and Chinese American women stood steadfast in their commitment to help.

Filled with images of Chinese women and their families, Unbound Feet brings these Chinese grandmothers to life. Their stories and testimonies endear them to today’s generation as women who struggled and conquered in the face of great hardship and trials. Unbound Feet is an outstanding contribution to the history of Chinese American women and their social experiences in the United. States.