這本書主要是想分享給兩種讀者,一種是在做遷移研究的人,另一種是本身即為遷移者,也許您可以參考與閱讀本書。作者稱,本書不是完整的回憶錄,而是把在臺灣居住五十年中,聚焦於描繪出在臺灣大學的學術角色,也是把自己人生最寶貴的歲月做個記錄。本書所要呈現的,不是只有關於移民生活成功的一面,其實在此過程也夾雜了挫折與失意,以及適應上的躑躅與徬徨。
【作者的話】
This book shall not be boring, as I do not write about successes, but was quite candid about my hardships. I encourage the reader to write about yourself, and be a better and happier person when you have finished. I have personally benefitted from a better knowledge of people I wrote about including family members, friends and academics. When I first came to Taiwan, I encountered traditional Chinese values in the family, but I did not succumb to prescribed gender roles like the women of my age, nor let other people define me and obstruct me from pursuing my dreams. The unrelenting support of my husband for me to get a Ph.D was a critical enabling factor in my pursuit of a fruitful university career. I am truly grateful to him for helping me to get through the “storms” of my life in Taiwan.
The two high schools that I attended in Hong Kong were different in their school missions and visions, apart from being government subsidized for one, and church subsidized for the other. HTTS had always been on my mind for the last five decades. The motto of HTTS, “Justice and Truth,” taught me the principle of conducting matters in life. Two years of enrolling in the matriculation class at MCS also affected my life a great deal. Apart from the good Chinese teachers, the American nuns from whom students received a liberal education, were excellent English teachers……The Maryknoll spirit is inherited by their students in being independent, free-thinking, outspoken, and courageous. Their belief that nothing is impossible is demonstrated by their pioneering role in emphasizing gender equality.……Learning to be a better person from my educational experiences in two different high schools has helped me to meet challenges of various kinds later in later-life.
Fifty years ago in Taiwan, girls were discouraged from attending universities, and were expected to earn an income before getting married, to help improve the family economy, and support their younger brothers for their education. They were also expected to play subservient roles in their husband’s family. Patriarchal values may not have totally disappeared today, however, but are more bearable at home and in the workplace. I do believe that this has to do with the women’s movement that not only has sensitized consciousness in both men and women, but socio-economic changes in Taiwan have also shielded women who are better educated, self-reliant, and assertive. As an educated woman and a pioneer feminist scholar who had survived the storms of patriarchy, I could not help looking for the new model.
In this second edition, I have tried to fill in some gaps that were omitted from its predecessor, based on reader feedback. It gave me the opportunity to produce a more candid(坦率)version based on my lived experiences in Hong Kong, U.S. and Taiwan. I do hope that this renewed effort will take my Memoir to the next level. This book does not intend to be simply a personal history, rather, it was written to help shed light on “transitional international migration”, a subject that has been overlooked in literature. In my case, the migration began with my family in Mainland China, ventured to Hong Kong, then to the United States, and re-migrated with my husband to Taiwan. I believe that the physical movements of people should be studied in greater depth and with a wider focus on social and cultural concerns. I hope that my life story might be an inspiration to young people, so that they might choose the more difficult or uncommon road in their lifetimes, that is, to be ‘out there’, physically, not just virtually and to be somehow adventurous. I do hope that their lived experiences will be as exciting and fulfilling as mine have been for me.
這本書主要是想分享給兩種讀者,一種是在做遷移研究的人,另一種是本身即為遷移者的人,也許他們可以參考與閱讀本書。在書中以我自身五十年的經驗,記錄、表達了一個從香港去美國,再來到臺灣的移民心聲。此外,從事香港移民研究的人也不多。政府單位如僑委會與移民局,也都可以參考這本書,從作者的移民經驗來看當今移民的生活。對
【作者的話】
This book shall not be boring, as I do not write about successes, but was quite candid about my hardships. I encourage the reader to write about yourself, and be a better and happier person when you have finished. I have personally benefitted from a better knowledge of people I wrote about including family members, friends and academics. When I first came to Taiwan, I encountered traditional Chinese values in the family, but I did not succumb to prescribed gender roles like the women of my age, nor let other people define me and obstruct me from pursuing my dreams. The unrelenting support of my husband for me to get a Ph.D was a critical enabling factor in my pursuit of a fruitful university career. I am truly grateful to him for helping me to get through the “storms” of my life in Taiwan.
The two high schools that I attended in Hong Kong were different in their school missions and visions, apart from being government subsidized for one, and church subsidized for the other. HTTS had always been on my mind for the last five decades. The motto of HTTS, “Justice and Truth,” taught me the principle of conducting matters in life. Two years of enrolling in the matriculation class at MCS also affected my life a great deal. Apart from the good Chinese teachers, the American nuns from whom students received a liberal education, were excellent English teachers……The Maryknoll spirit is inherited by their students in being independent, free-thinking, outspoken, and courageous. Their belief that nothing is impossible is demonstrated by their pioneering role in emphasizing gender equality.……Learning to be a better person from my educational experiences in two different high schools has helped me to meet challenges of various kinds later in later-life.
Fifty years ago in Taiwan, girls were discouraged from attending universities, and were expected to earn an income before getting married, to help improve the family economy, and support their younger brothers for their education. They were also expected to play subservient roles in their husband’s family. Patriarchal values may not have totally disappeared today, however, but are more bearable at home and in the workplace. I do believe that this has to do with the women’s movement that not only has sensitized consciousness in both men and women, but socio-economic changes in Taiwan have also shielded women who are better educated, self-reliant, and assertive. As an educated woman and a pioneer feminist scholar who had survived the storms of patriarchy, I could not help looking for the new model.
In this second edition, I have tried to fill in some gaps that were omitted from its predecessor, based on reader feedback. It gave me the opportunity to produce a more candid(坦率)version based on my lived experiences in Hong Kong, U.S. and Taiwan. I do hope that this renewed effort will take my Memoir to the next level. This book does not intend to be simply a personal history, rather, it was written to help shed light on “transitional international migration”, a subject that has been overlooked in literature. In my case, the migration began with my family in Mainland China, ventured to Hong Kong, then to the United States, and re-migrated with my husband to Taiwan. I believe that the physical movements of people should be studied in greater depth and with a wider focus on social and cultural concerns. I hope that my life story might be an inspiration to young people, so that they might choose the more difficult or uncommon road in their lifetimes, that is, to be ‘out there’, physically, not just virtually and to be somehow adventurous. I do hope that their lived experiences will be as exciting and fulfilling as mine have been for me.
這本書主要是想分享給兩種讀者,一種是在做遷移研究的人,另一種是本身即為遷移者的人,也許他們可以參考與閱讀本書。在書中以我自身五十年的經驗,記錄、表達了一個從香港去美國,再來到臺灣的移民心聲。此外,從事香港移民研究的人也不多。政府單位如僑委會與移民局,也都可以參考這本書,從作者的移民經驗來看當今移民的生活。對
