A Village with My Name: A Family History of China's Opening to the World

by Scott Tong

When journalist Scott Tong moved to Shanghai, his assignment was to start the first full-time China bureau for “Marketplace,” the daily business and economics program on public radio stations across the United States. But for Tong the move became much more—it offered the opportunity to reconnect with members of his extended family who had remained in China after his parents fled the communists six decades prior. By uncovering the stories of his family’s history, Tong discovered a new way to understand the defining moments of modern China and its long, interrupted quest to go global.
 
A Village with My Name offers a unique perspective on the transitions in China through the eyes of regular people who have witnessed such epochal events as the toppling of the Qing monarchy, Japan’s occupation during World War II, exile of political prisoners to forced labor camps, mass death and famine during the Great Leap Forward, market reforms under Deng Xiaoping, and the dawn of the One Child Policy. Tong’s story focuses on five members of his family, who each offer a specific window on a changing a rare American-educated girl born in the closing days of the Qing Dynasty, a pioneer exchange student, an abandoned toddler from World War II who later rides the wave of China’s global export boom, a young professional climbing the ladder at a multinational company, and an orphan (the author’s daughter) adopted in the middle of a baby-selling scandal fueled by foreign money. Through their stories, Tong shows us China anew, visiting former prison labor camps on the Tibetan plateau and rural outposts along the Yangtze, exploring the Shanghai of the 1930s, and touring factories across the mainland.
 
With curiosity and sensitivity, Tong explores the moments that have shaped China and its people, offering a compelling and deeply personal take on how China became what it is today.
 

Genres: China, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Asia

261 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2017

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of ground geographically, historically, and personally for Scott Tong and his family. It answers questions that his parents have had about their own beginnings in mainland China, and about the relatives that were left behind when their parents left for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Scott's journalistic background (reporter & producer for National Public Radio for many years) didn't allow him to write about rumors without proof to back them up, so the research for this book took him to various parts of China many times, sometimes with one or both of his parents. Reading about Scott's research methods made this as fascinating as the actual family history. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Chinese history especially the 20th century. It would also be good reading for students of journalism, anyone with an interest in genealogical research, or anyone who enjoys intergenerational family stories.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I'm heavily biased as Scott is my cousin.) That being said, I learned so much family history (which, as Scott acknowledges, is something rarely disclosed to outsiders, let alone to younger relatives), and he does an excellent job weaving a compelling and often tragic personal narrative into the complex fabric of China's modern history. For those of us in the US, it's so easy to focus on our differences and trade relationship with China that we often forget to examine its broader scope in the world. In spite of all the tough historical lessons, this never once felt like a dry textbook, and I'll freely admit that many of the personal stories – regardless of how related I was to the narrator – resonated with and pained me in deeply impactful ways. Thank you, Scott, for telling your story and all the others you included in this book, and of course, infinite gratitude to everyone brave enough to share your story with him.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly unique book--quite a feat of journalism and personal narrative. Combining an account of modern Chinese history and economics with the author's personal quest to uncover lost family history and connect with his family's past and present, this book engaged the intellect as well as the heart. A fascinating and moving introduction to 20th- and 21st-century China--its cycles of opening up to and withdrawal from the global community, together with the immense changes, hopes, and tragedies faced by its people. It altered some of my preconceptions about modern China and introduced me to (and began to fill in) tremendous gaps in my knowledge of its history.

[Kirsten Frosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

What a beautiful family story! Told with such warmth and intensity. Great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture from a talented reporter.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of modern China through family lenses.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I hope to teach my children is that history is not a set of dates, but they are events that were lived and participated in. And that people make choices for many reasons, sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not. And people can have the best of intentions for the society at heart, but make choices that events will show were detrimental to themselves, their families, and their society.

A Village with My Name is the story of one family in China that choose a side during the three way conflict in China in the 1930s and 1940s (KMT, Chinese Communist Party, Japanese collaborators, with the western powers and the countryside warlords in the mix.). All three thought they were doing the right thing for China (KMT modernization as part of the west, CCP in state control to lead to growth, Japanese collaborators trying to develop an asian society that can stand up along the west). History tells us that the CCP won, and bitterly crushed those who took one of the other sides in many waves of persecution as CCP had its growing pains.

I came of age in an America where there were deep and real differences in opinion on what an American society should be, but among those who had experience in positions of responsibility, pragmatism tempered idealism, and there was a general understanding that those you argued with were, in the end, on the same side in a world where many would like the American experiment to fail. This book depicts a society where that assumption was not present, and there was no such thing as a loyal opposition, and every generation redefined who was part of the disloyal opposition. And like any good history, it would not be hard to imagine a society where people made the same types of choices in demonizing people who make different choices out of loyalty to their country.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book as I am personal friend of the author. This review was not subject to anyone's review, and the thoughts are my own.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a compelling and enjoyable description of the author's family's journey through key points in modern China's history, and the account of his quest to seek out his family's unique story. I appreciated Mr. Tong's observations and insights on modern China, which is a culture (despite my own background as a Chinese-American) that is hard for me to understand as a whole - How can it have endured such a harsh a one-child policy? Is it really a society that devalues women? Mr. Tong does touch on these questions, through telling his family's story, and I feel I have a better understanding of some of modern Chinese history, along with a more nuanced and sympathetic view of Chinese society.

I was impressed by the fascinating, and humorous, narrative Mr. Tong put together, describing his painstaking research efforts, despite information lost to the destruction of war, language barriers, and bureaucracy. Although I know of Mr. Tong's reporting in Marketplace, he is a terrific writer, and I'm hoping he continues to write more books.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book catering to the foreigner appetite for China. This book traces the Tong family history across 5 generations, contextualising personal experience against the larger historical waves of the fall of the Qing dynasty, the Japanese occupation, civil war between the KMT and CCP, the Cultural Revolution and Hundred Flowers Campaign, and resurgent China under Xi. I have a similar reaction to this as Shanghai Boy/Shanghai Girl — why should I care about such personal histories? Why the Tongs and not the Chias if I cared to chase mine? We all have a story; apparently my maternal grandfather was born to a landholding family who lost everything in the CR. Apparently a friend’s family used to live in the Sinan Mansions before it was all taken over by the government. As Tong notes in the attitudes of the locals about their histories — so what. Everyone faced their own tragedy. It’s just one story out of many.

Nevertheless, finished this on the 101th anniversary of the May Fourth Revolution, leisurely drinking two cups of coffee a day and reading in Suzhou’s bookstores. I enjoy these snappy observations of China as I feel I can relate to them even better now, having conversed with more locals over the past 7 weeks:

“So much of mainland life amounts to an arms race: beat the competition, bargain for the best price, stuff more knowledge into your kind than what the neighbour’s has, hustle into the elevator and jab DOOR CLOSE before the next person can nose her way in. If you’re in a car waiting at a red light, you have to start driving before it turns green, otherwise you never make it through.”

“You can line-dry your undershorts in a busy alley, but family dirty laundry stays discreetly inside.”

甲：To goose GDP numbers, the city [Wuhan] digs up roads and paved them, and then repeats the process. 骗人GDP.
乙：But I look around here, and see the party has made people’s lives better. Look at the buildings, the airports.
甲：Those are the things you can see: cars, skyscrapers, railroads. The problem with China is what you can’t see. Morality. Underground aquifers. Creativity.

It was also interesting to note that Wuhan was the puppet state of the Japanese during the occupation, and Mao used to show off his swimming skills there. Unfortunately now the city is tainted with another negative association, but surely its inhabitants can add the nCovid-19 to its fabric of history.

The next is on housing and marriage:

“There is a joke going around: having a son turns you into the China Construction Bank: you have to build a new home for him and his wife. But a daughter makes you the China Investment Bank: you attract money — girls are profitable enterprises.” It is true because apparently men are not marriageable until they own a house and a car. I asked my colleague then — what about poor men? Don’t they have girlfriends? He soberly replied that these men only have girlfriends but not wives. It is impossible to own your house in Shanghai without help from your parents. I also note that the average salary in Shanghai is less than 50% that of an average Singaporean, but our houses and cars cost the same, and the food prices are nearly the same. Wild.
On this note my friend then asked me if Singaporeans are happier because we’re richer and can save more? I told her Singaporeans are amongst the most unhappy in the world, according to some studies. Yet we never went through the horrors of famine and cannibalism. There is always a reason to be unhappy, and we need to find our individual peace.

“In Shanghai, marrying people from other provinces is considered marrying down: ‘It’s not just her and me getting married — it would be our whole families getting married. Think about it: her relatives would want to move to shanghai to get jobs, and use our connections to do it. What if they are farmers? That’s a problem. Do they celebrate Chinese New Year different than we do? Then if we have a child, her mother will come to care for it and live with my family. There will be conflicts. We all have different standards.’” And one thinks interracial marriages might be more complicated than same-race marriages! Again, there is always a reason to be unhappy, and we need to find our individual peace.

The next anecdote I find hilarious because it sums up how I feel workplace interactions in China are like, a delicate navigation of discerning intent and learning how to respond appropriately, a game which I’m terrible at.
甲：Did you call person X yet?
乙：Let me come talk to you about that.
甲：Is the expense report done?
乙：You asked me to do these other things first.
甲：Is this a good story for us to chase?
乙：It’s hard to say.
As much as I enjoy the lifestyle in Shanghai, I know I will never excel at a career here. When I first arrived here I always asked myself: Am I not Chinese? Do these traits not run in my blood? And the resounding answer identifies me as Singaporean more than I would’ve liked to admit.

Parting thoughts are on the desire for elsewhere: the idea that moving to and living in America is a dream for the Gen X/ Boomer/ Pre Boomer Generation in China. For the Chinese millennials I’ve spoken to, the dream has shifted eastwards to retire in Italy or move to the UK where they studied a Masters degree. China is never enough for the Chinese, Singapore is never enough for the Singaporeans, people complain about the fast pace of living in cities and imagine an idyllic life in Australia or Canada with minimum wage and easy access to the beach. I largely disagree. Unhappy now, unhappy forever.
When I spoke to an American from Indiana who talked about crippling student loans and a lack of job opportunity, or to a young girl from Russia talking about the cold, drinking vodka and mean people; living and working in Shanghai for them is the dream.

[Dori Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud and wept quietly as I read this book. Scott Tong brings to life his search for his family roots in China with vivid scenes and unforgettable characters. From the first chapter—about his family trip to his father’s father’s village—to the last, a scorching, eyes-wide-open indictment of baby-selling corruption—this book tells stories so intense you feel like part of the family. The tale benefits from his journalist’s doggedness and skepticism as well as scholarly insights into modern China.

The most moving scenes are about the grandfather whose story was so dark everyone wanted to forget it. Scott Tong refused to forget it, and ends up resurrecting the dignity, resilience and resourcefulness of a wide cast of characters—his family. Then he goes on to show how China’s twentieth-century history has shaped the country it is today. Highly recommended!

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt personal, because my maternal grandfather also fled from Wuhan as a result of the Communist rise to power. I remember interviewing him for a history project on what he did in World War II when I was an elementary story, and feeling frustrated because the story he told didn't fit into the history I was being taught in U.S. schools, which largely focused on Hitler and the Holocaust. Looking back, I wish I asked more questions and better understood where we came from. In a way, this book helped me put that into perspective. I appreciate the fact that the author explored how European culture influenced China's modernization, and it made me rethink my own faulty black and white picture of the Chinese modern history I learned through Taiwanese and U.S. history books.

[Joan Eisenstodt · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much history we are not taught in the US. More, when I asked a friend from China who now lives in the US if she wanted to read this, she said that she did not want to relive what she knew from life .. not unlike what the author discovered in his quest to learn of his own family's history.

In a global society, all of us must know more about the history of others and what they have experienced. As we look at the horror of the US lack of compassion for immigrants, read more in this book at the history, the ugly history, of what was done to others. And yes, there is humor and such warmth of family discovered to balance the sadness.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great micro history of China as told through the narrative of his family, the Tong family. I really appreciated his anecdote of how often Chinese will not answer a question by saying, "it is not clear" which can mean a variety of things.

[Patrick Kabanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly remarkable story from a gifted storyteller. Scott Tong must be elected his family's sennachie! Through Tong's intimate family history, I learnt a lot about how China became the China we've come to know in our increasingly interconnected global village.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Tong is a Chinese American who was sent to China for a few years for work, and while there he decided to hunt down some family history. He takes readers along on his journey to track down family history back to his great-grandparents in China on both his mother and father's sides. Along the way, readers get a history of China for the past century and what the years were like for those who left and those who stayed.

This is a very eye-opening look at pieces of Chinese history that haven't gotten around much. Scott Tong's family history involves Japanese collaborators, those who were punished by various regimes for family members who left the country, the impact of natural disasters, shifting political regimes, and more. He has a good pulse on the difference in thinking between his Western-influenced mindset and a traditional Chinese mindset, and often points out those differences without labeling one as better than the other. Since he is trained as a journalist, speaks Mandarin, and has family still in China, he was able to uncover some stories the average Westerner would never have heard. If you are at all interested in Chinese history or East vs West cultural differences, this is a highly recommended read.

Notes on content: 3 strong swears in quotes, no other language. No sex scenes. Some affairs or polygamists come up in histories but they are related as matter of fact history, no lurid details. Deaths in work camps, from famines, in reeducation sessions, and in wars are mentioned. Torture during reeducation sessions is also mentioned. No graphic descriptions. Child trafficking for international adoption comes up towards the end, as does the number of children who were aborted or abandoned and left to die because of the famine and one child policy.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Village with My Name takes its title from the author’s ancestral village of Tong, which is where his paternal great-grandfather lived. It is part memoir and part history—from the fall of Qing monarchy to the reforms under Deng Xiaoping. It is his search for his roots which focuses on five members of his family each of whom have a different perspective. He is a journalist, a great writer and was Marketplace’s founding China bureau chief. Even though he spent many years in China, as he explores his roots, he learns more than he knew while living there. He delves into so many issues that are difficult to explain. He tells both the bad and the good, and he searches in places where it's almost impossible to get a foot in the door.

I really liked when he explained the nuances of Mandarin. For example, when he was trying to find his ancestral family village, he got this reply from one man: “bu tai qing chu.” He explains that in the literal sense it means “not very clear.” However, it can have several meanings like I can’t help you; I will not help you; I don’t want to tell you; I’ll get in trouble; you don’t deserve to know; and/or I’m moving on now.” He says, “This roundabout exchange has eaten up twenty minutes I’ll never get back, but this is how things work. Chinese civilization goes back five thousand years, the saying goes. My people have time.”

For anyone who has no idea about what it means to be Chinese, this book is the perfect ticket. For those that know more about China, Tong’s insight is both enlightening and engaging.

[Sharon Dubrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book since I love learning history through a personal story. Scott Tong tracked his family back four generations and how they experienced the past 150 years in China from the Great Leap Forward, the Great Famine, and the Cultural Revolution and the splitting of families as the Communists arrived. I was impressed how the value of education persevered through these periods despite atrocities that occurred, including for women - S Tong's grandmother pursued education, ran a school, and later fled to Hong Kong with her children (her husband had to stay behind).
S Tong's methods and pursuit of this difficult to obtain information made the story exciting. People are still reserved and afraid to speak about family members who were of the Nationalist Party since they were persecuted even to be related.
My mother once told me that her maiden name came from the name of town in Russia, Podol, where parents were from and I always thought that was ridiculous. How can everyone have the same last name? But here you have it in China as well, A Village Named Tong and everyone carries the surname Tong!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book strikes deep chords within me as my own family history and migration mirrors the author, Scott Tong's. I too am struck with the desire to know more of my family history but struggle with the older generation's reluctance to relive the painful past. This book is a wonderful way for me to connect with the homeland of my ancestors. Scott is able to elegantly weave in his family story and Chinese history plus a dash of humor to keep it from becoming too dreary. Our families traversed the world for a better life, and although their lives were filled with terrible tragedies - their were buoyed by a sense of hope, opportunity and maybe a little adventure. A refusal to accept status quo. That is the incredible spirit of the immigrant. The dreary parts are not the dominant aspects. The underlying indominable spirit is. The ability to laugh in the face of hopelessness. The stamina to move heaven & earth for a better way of life. Where did that indominable spirit come from? This book is a nice exploration of that question.

[Garnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Tong uses his own family’s history to exemplify Chinese history from the early 1900s to the present day. I like stories built on family history because they show how broad sweeping economic and political changes affect the lives of specific individuals. The story follows an educational reformer and a man who collaborated with the Japanese occupiers, as well as family members who emigrated to the U.S. after the Communists came to power and those who stayed behind in China, politically persecuted because of their overseas connections. There are no heroes or villains in the story. Each person makes decisions based on current knowledge and circumstances and those decisions shape their future lives. The unlucky ones are caught on the wrong side of history, but they make the best of what they have. Just like the rest of us. An interesting book for those who want an overview of the past century of Chinese social history.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably best appreciated by my generation of Chinese-Americans. Scott Tong’s search for the stories of his grandparents, great-grandparents, and extended families as China went through revolution, civil war, and the brutal upheavals of the Communist era through today’s unevenly booming economy, rings mightily with me. There are many painful parallels with the history of my family on both sides. I suspect I’m not alone in internalizing and compartmentalizing what happened to our families so that we could get on with our current (often racist-tinted) lives here in America. And I’m also sure that, though the details will vary, people from or descended from other emigrating countries have similar heartrending histories. They would recognize the author’s desire to search out his family roots.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- China was in backwards water at the end of Qing Dynasty. The country clearly knows itself being backwards, but didn't know what to do: one fraction wants to keep the thing as it is, the other fraction wants to learn from the rest of the world

- Under this environment, lots of people studied abroad - Japan being one of the popular destination. In 1900s thanks to Meijing Restoration, Japan - not China - became the dominant force in Asia. Something that lasted

- Because of China's weakness, foreign power was able to come in and take over land for trade. However, anti-foreigner sentiment rose and nationalistic sentiment began taking shape

- After Qing Dynasty, China became the land of warlords. Which continued even during the fragile KMT ruling

- After the CCP took over, anyone with association of foreignness (relatives etc) was prosecuted

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are taken on a very long journey... and on this journey you will see 100 years of reformation in China. You'll see corruption in many forms, slave labor for having an opinion, and deep poverty for the unfortunate. Yes, many people are more well off. You'll see the price paid to receive these modest economic benefits.

This is a dense book. Expect to take more time than usual to read. It will stick with you.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'Seventy to eighty percent of the people are dissatisfied,' the driver says. That seems like an awfully high number to me. Bureaucrat Uncle Liu jumps in 'But we don't want another party in charge either. It's too luan.' Too chaotic. Americans can have a romantic attachment to luan - a mess process of change, disruption, creative destruction, failing fast. Perhaps you crave these things if you have lived too long without any luan. p 68

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word: Fantastic. Scott Tong writes beautifully about the entwining of his family history and the major currents of 20th century Chinese history. As a pure family history, it's remarkable in its honesty, humor, and poignance. Tong's take on the major political, social, and economic transformations in modern China is accessible and engaging, even to this former Russian/Soviet studies major!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting non fiction book about a chinese americsn journalist searching for his roots in china. I learned lots about the last 100 years of the history of the chinese people, not just the government. A little difficult to follow because he told the history as he learned it, so different eras depending on who he was visiting.

[Roberto Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, especially for immigrants or children of immigrants. How much do you want to know about your family history? What happens if you pick the wrong/losing side? Should children be punished for the sins of the parents? These are all interesting questions that most people in America do not have to consider.

[Amourence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bold and courageous book that forces us to hold the complexity of China's path to modernization. Tong explores the layers of history through his family stories. It's personal, very moving, and refreshingly honest. I learned so much along the way!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part history, part personal family journey. I appreciated the journalist angle. I always wanted to adopt a Chinese daughter so the story of their own adoption was a great ending. The Tongs are some of our favorite friends.

[Andrew Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great overview of Chinese history over the past 150 years from the perspective of a journalist researching his family’s history. Reminds me of Wild Swans.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for neighborhood book club. Also attended Scott's discussion at his home.