Watching the Tree

by Adeline Yen Mah

Adeline Yen Mah, whose autobiography ‘Falling Leaves’ is an international bestseller, here interweaves her own experiences with her views on Chinese thought and wisdom to create an illuminating and highly personal guide for Western readers.

Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, and through the conversations and wisdom of her grandfather and aunt learnt a great deal of traditional Chinese thought, history and religion. Through her father’s second marriage to a Eurasian woman, and their subsequent move to Hong Kong, she learnt more about the Chinese attitudes to business and to family, and the strength of the Chinese in exile.

Since living in London and California, Adeline Yen Mah has studied Chinese thought, looking at both the strengths and weaknesses which it gives those who follow it and now, in ‘Watching the Tree’, she takes us on a journey through the Chinese language, religions and history, using both Chinese proverbs and her own experiences, to bring to us an understanding of the richness of China and the ways that we can take and use some of the wisdom for ourselves in the West.

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

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Adeline Yen Mah is a Chinese-American author and physician. She grew up in Tianjin, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and is known for her autobiography Falling Leaves.

Reviews

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my East Asian Philosophy 101 course. A broad yet definitive guide to Chinese culture.
I loved her grandfather's comment about how Chinese wear Confucian thinking caps, Taoist robes, and Buddhist sandals (skeptical of religions.) Her grandfather knows me better than I know myself lol And I instinctively follow all these Chinese ideologies without ever having studied any of those immense texts like I Ching, Tao Te Ching, or the Analects of Confucius although I remember bugging my mom about it when I was young. She didn't care for these things so she wasn't much help.
I love the idea that Buddhism is not a religion in the Western sense of the word, but rather a way to an awakened state. And I'm fascinated by the I Ching, despite its occult/black magic background. I'm buying the Willhelm translation.
I also absolutely love and wish I had as grounded and strong minded an aunt as hers. She rescued Adeline over and over and set her on the right path to happiness. I will be referencing that letter about having differences with your parents and letting yourself grow as an individual.

this has been my all-time favorite book. it's also very closely connected to who I am and where I come from.

[Fern A · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Parts of this book definitely deserved a five star rating and other parts seemed to lack structure, were repetitive, dry and quite hard to get through. It is quite unlike her other work, which was extremely readable. However I’m really glad I stuck with it as I found the last few chapters the most interesting and thought provoking. Essentially this is a look at Chinese culture, philosophy and history with some snapshots of the authors life and other works thrown in.

[SWZIE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to my review but I should warn you that it contains spoilers.

‘Watching the Tree’ is very profound in parts. The author, Adeline Yen Mah, attempts to teach the West why the Chinese think the way they do. I must say she articulates the interpretation of complex concepts extremely well. The book also serves to enlighten us about Chinese culture: their history, beliefs, traditions, superstitions and their philosophy.

According to Adeline, it has been said that every Chinese wears a Confucian thinking cap. On times she has been surprised to recognise that even her own values come straight from Confucius. As a result of Confucius being a misogynist, a woman’s inferior status was accepted in China - and discrimination was deeply ingrained into men of Adeline’s father’s generation. Consequently parents favoured sons and unwanted infant daughters were abandoned, murdered, or sold. Even at this present time the majority of children in mainland orphanages in China are female. This I already knew but wasn’t aware of how it originated.

It saddened me to read that Adeline herself knew she wasn’t wanted by most of her family and felt the lowest of the low. Throughout the book she makes references to how her life has been negatively affected due to her female gender and status within her family. When her father remarried and had children with his second wife, Adeline became the very bottom of their family hierarchy. However, the one person who loved her was her grandfather and his influence moulded her into the person she became. Understandably Adeline dedicates the book to the man she called her Ye Ye. He gave her hope and strength.

Throughout the book, Adeline imparts some interesting facts, such as how China was the most advanced civilisation right up to the time of Marco Polo, but from then on it fell behind. The author’s personal opinion was that it was all down to a lack of education. I found it astounding that the Chinese still used the abacus for calculating in the 20’s and 30’s, because there was no zero or position in Chinese to enable calculations on paper, so this impeded the advancement in maths and impacted on the development of science.

I find it interesting that the ancient Chinese thought that qi had its own circulatory system and the movement of qi (breath or air), influenced the movement of blood. As someone who suffers from high blood pressure I find that slow deep breathing can actually lower my BP to an acceptable level and keep it under control. So I’m sure there’s some truth in the beliefs of the ancient Chinese that we can learn from.

I found the tales and anecdotes amusing, wise, and some quite profound in the way they made me think deeply into their meaning. My favourite is an amusing tale of when Adeline’s grandfather took her to a tea shop: They had ordered soup, which they both found delicious, but on the last spoonful Adeline screamed as she noticed a dead cockroach lying at the bottom of her bowl! The thought of having consumed the soup horrified her. But her grandfather, unperturbed, carried on calmly drinking his. He explained, “Before you saw the cockroach, you loved the soup. As soon as you became aware of the insect, you loathed the soup instead. Yet the soup has not changed; only your perception of it has altered.” As an adult, Adeline realised the importance our attitude has on our understanding and enjoyment of life. Periodically, she said, unfortunate things will happen in our life. We may not be able to change situations, but we can control our attitude in dealing with them. I found the moral of the story and how Adeline was able to relate it to her everyday life, a valuable lesson.

To really enjoy this book throughout you have to have a strong interest in learning about Chinese culture and beliefs. Without this desire it certainly won’t be the book for you, but you will nevertheless appreciate how well it is written.

[Jamal Raslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've received as a gift. I can relate closely to the writer as I went to a Chinese primary school and can still read/write/speak Mandarin.

The book encapsulates and offers telling insight on many of the mannerisms, habits, tendencies, gestures and expressions that are uniquely Chinese, which will become immediately familiar and comforting to those who often find themselves in their company.

An enlightening discovery - not necessarily of the truth - but the background and origins of the Chinese psyche, laced and tapered with timely anecdotes, tales be it the authors own or even something off the lush and colourful history of the Chinese culture.

A book that I cherish.

[Amber-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusual choice of book for me. Typically I'm not much of a non-fiction reader - my tastes simply tend to lean more towards fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. But every so often I'll come across something different, and proceed to try it if only to say I did. Watching the Tree was such a book for me.

There's no doubt in my mind that my favourite parts of this book were when Adeline Yen Mah used her own past to demonstrate the Chinese mindset. I ached for her when she shared her childhood experiences as the unwanted daughter of a rich family. I felt anger on her behalf when she was cut from her step-mother's will, apparently without warning. Reading about her life was something I really enjoyed, and if the book had been just that I probably would have ranked it higher. Unfortunately, these excerpts of her life were padded out with very dry sections about Confucius, feng shui, the different types of Buddhism, traditional Chinese medicine, and other aspects of Chinese history and culture.

I want to make it clear, I do not mean to say I found any of this information boring. On the contrary, I found it fascinating and I'd love to learn more, especially about Buddhism and their approach to medicine. It's just that the writing in these passages was on the dull side and - because of that - quite hard to follow or feel much enthusiasm for.

If there's one thing Watching the Tree did do right for me, it made me appreciate the Chinese a little more. A population of people that, to this day, value intelligence above all else is simply amazing to me. There are things about the Chinese I will never understand (their misogyny for one - my Western brain rejects the idea of undervaluing women to the point where unwanted baby girls are abandoned without a backwards glance) but their admiration of intellect is something I can get on board with. For thousands of years the Chinese people (well, the men at least) have been able to rise above their station through education, something the Western world didn't allow on until very recently by comparison.

Watching the Tree also taught me a lot about Buddhism, which I surprisingly found myself quite taken with. Over the years I've developed a strong disdain of the religions I grew up surrounded by. I won't go into all the reasons I have for this, but suffice it to say I don't consider myself religious. The many forms Buddhism however, feel different to the likes of Christianity and Islam. I perceive Buddhism as being less about obedience to a single celestial entity, and whatever plans it may or may not have for the human race, and more about knowing and respecting the balance of the world around us and living as good a life as we can. To phrase this in an even simpler way; religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism are all about death and beyond, whereas Buddhism concerns itself more with life and the 'now'.

Overall, Watching the Tree was a very interesting and informative book. A bit on the dry side, but it's worth reading if you're particularly interested in China.

[Isla Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a bit of a dry and bland read at first but it did become quite an intriguing and even compelling read, the further I read. It was fascinating from a historical viewpoint, reading about the way the Chinese interpreted things many hundreds, or thousands even, of years ago. There's a lot of talk about Confuscious, about Chinese morality and philosophy. Some things made sense to me, some others seemed so opposite to the way people like I, in Western civilisation, think.

I found particularly interesting the information about the Chinese language, with calligraphy often being mentioned. Many characters which feature in Chinese writing are covered in the text, with translations using our roman alphabet supplied and an English language translation also provided. This book provides a very good insight in to Chinese writing and culture in general I reckon. At first I wasn't very sure, it seemed, if anything, a bit too specific a book, referring to the authors previous books, (primarily 'Falling Leaves'), making me feel a bit daunted because I hadn't read said previous book and I wasn't sure what I was maybe expected, as a reader, to be aware of before reading this book. By the end of it, I found I had a better general understanding of Chinese culture and (perhaps less so but all the same) Chinese history, if nothing else.

Given it is quite focussed on philosophy, with the authors personal faith related beliefs being mentioned towards the end of it, it was quite a thought provoking read. I can understand why the author questioned things at certain times in her life, as she openly mentions. I thought the author was quite candid and provided an intriguing and certainly interesting read about her homeland, or mother country. I also liked that it was relatively short in terms of pagination, at under 250 pages long, so its not a massive, bulky brick of a read, which may put people off. In that sense its quite accessible.

If your interested either in eastern philosophy or spirituality, or more specifically in Chinese culture, society perhaps or maybe history, then I say this makes for an interesting read, one well worth considering.

If your just generally interested in it based on what I've said then definitely give it a read. It may not be to everyones interest - it was a little slow and maybe felt a little unfocussed at the start but I very much enjoyed reading it and found it an insightful read by the end. Recommended.

[Brent Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watching The Tree: Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition, and Spiritual Wisdom, by Adeline Yen Mah, needs to be introduced as a follow up book by the author of Falling Leaves. The first book was about her life in a family where her mother had died, and her Chinese father married a Eurasian woman. She was the youngest of her father’s first family in a new family of 7 children and felt unloved. Her struggles with fitting in and how she found strength in her roots as her life progressed added interest to the things we learned about her culture.

In “Watching The Tree” thirteen year old Adeline is concerned about having to leave school and go get a job in Hong Kong. She aks her grandfather, Ye Ye, who she is close to, for money to go back to school and go to Shanghai where she thought everything would be the same as she had left it a few years before. He brings out the “I Ching” which are like scriptures and reminds her of a teaching that “the only thing that does not change is that everything changes”.

The goal that Adeline has for this book is to bring ideas that play a role in Chinese thinking are Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism to the reader. She quotes this thought, “every Chinese wears a Confucian thinking cap, a Taoist robe, and Buddhist sandals. She brings together the many influences on her life as a child of the East and as a student and adult in the West and explores the centuries-old Chinese traditions.

Zen, yin and yang, feng shui, and the issues of happiness, health, and spirituality are discussed to show the cultural divide between the East and West. The stories are interesting, but they lack the drama of her first book’s struggle with her own life.

The book overall is interesting, but is a weaker follow up for the first book, and probably would be even less interesting if you had not read the first book. For more information on this book see web site at www.connectedeventsmatter.com

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book full of revelations, insights and philosophy about the Chinese culture and how it compares to life in the West.

This is the second time I've read this now - hence the long delay as I read some other books in between - but I marked so many pages to refer back to. My favourite part was the explanation of Yin and Yang - so true the world over about the differences between men and women.

I felt calm and educated after reading this, and now I'm going to pass on to friends and family to enjoy the same wonderful insights, quotes and perspectives on life which applies to us all, wherever we are from.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An explanation of eastern religions and philosophy for the average American. Written beautifully, by a Chinese American woman.

[Carly Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried reading this. Shockingly boring compared to her emotional Faliing Leaves. It was formatted like a self help book. Got rid of it.

[Neil Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt it was a little too knowing. Maybe not humble enough. Couldn't identify with the writer.

[Kathy Chung]

Unable to finish this book. Too much lenghty discussion. Unable to process what the book is talking about

Going to dispose this book/

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fascinating book if you are into Chinese culture!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

These essays help me better understand the Chinese culture. While the book contains some repetition and dry information, her stories and pondering of Chinese (and world) history and culture made it a worthwhile read.

[Aimee Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adeline re visits her childhood upbringing in Hong Kong and the impactful influence her grandfather had on her.

Food is medicine and everything you put inside you should resonate with that. She touches on the difference between perspective and perception.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening. This book was neither pompous, nor pure opinion, which is much appreciated after trudging through another book on the history of China (and not finishing, I might add). Pick up a copy.. Worth the read (:

[Caroline Robertson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really struggled with this book not for me I’m afraid

[Rachel Quinlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Adeline’s life, and wish there had been more. I struggled with the language and translations, as I’m not good with languages; but I loved the stereotypical descriptions of Yin and Yang - so me and my husband. Interesting, but hard work in places.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well structured as a sort of biopic interwoven with the history of Chinese philosophy. Using this as an introduction/springboard to Chinese philosophy many concepts became clearer since she related them to personal experiences. It was incredibly beguiling at times (I couldn't stop reading!), the emotion lacks in comparison to her other books but then again it's purpose isn't purely to entertain. Reading about her experience with Larkin was surprising - we had just finished studying Pym so understanding their relationship enriched my admiration for him!

I greatly enjoyed Mah's writing style - There's some history in here too, but don't expect much on the cultural revolution since the writer lived in Hong Kong.

[Diana]

This book is written under a Confucian thinking cap, a taoist robe, and Buddhist sandals. She brings together the influences of her childhood from her mother country, and influences as a student and adult in America. The author explains her experiences throughout the book about her personal struggles ad triumphs thorughout her life history. She values Chinese customs and culture. This book is written in both languages, CHinese and Englsih. I thought it was cool, becuase Adeline Yen Mah would insert Chinese character into the story, and it helped me further understand what she was trying to say in her story.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a decent read, however a full appreciation of it's contents will probably require a moderate degree of interest in Chinese culture and history.

At times I found myself completely immersed in the idea at hand, especially when it came to the discussion of the Chinese language and it's features. Other times, the book offered interesting insights into religion and Confucianism. The remaining parts of the book, while well-written, did not strike much interest and contributed little to the overall reflection.

It is only toward the end that some sections came together cohesively to offer me a takeaway from the novel.

[Colin Hoad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, accessible guide to Chinese customs and culture written from the perspective of one who has experienced them first hand. This is not so much a story as a collection of anecdotes, each of which illustrates an important aspect of Chinese philosophy and attitudes to life.

My only criticism would be the rather hostile attitude the author displays towards Confucianism (or "Ru Jia" to use the Chinese name). Clearly the author's personal experiences have jaundiced her view of Confucius, which is a pity as everything else she relates is viewed in a positive light.

[Sharlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite having grandparents who were Taoist/Buddhist, I never knew much about these religions. Watching The Tree uses various anecdotes from Mah’s life as she discusses everything from language to food to Confucianism (which seems to be given a bit of a hostile treatment). I did have some issues with the hanyu pinyin (a kind of romanised transcription of the Chinese characters), which were a bit wanting – and in one case completely wrong. A decent enough read for those wanting a little bit of insight into this aspect of Chinese culture.

[Sorobai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. Spite the constant remembrance by the author of her previous book (the only flaw in the present book, I belive).
It is a journey through the principal ideas that formed chinese culture in the past and their reflexion in the present. And there are very good judgments and advice in the middle. I read it very fast since I wanted to reach the end and I was not disappointed when I reached there. Good work!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is some of Adeline's best writing. A book to be read over and over again as one ages and is only able to comprehend the meanings until the age is appropriate.

so I am admitting that some of what she wrote flew over my head like a soft feather in am angry wind but I will find more meaning in it someday.

for someone really trying hard to understand the Chinese mind I found this book helpful and insightful. okay I admit that is a sentence fraught with cliche but that is all I got right now

[Cloay · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have no other book to read, you may consider reading it.
If you are interested in Chinese/China culture & history, you may consider this as first read, otherwise give it a skip.

Some ideals & theory mentioned are just too surface, the last few chapters are too boring & is too narrow, my view. You really need to know more about YiJing & Fengshui before else will giving the wrong direction.

I read the Chinese version, this is my view based on.

[Tanisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter and Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

[Jolette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book again after putting it down a dozen years ago. Some chapters are very informative and inspiring, but others feel like they are there merely to fill the book. And even though Mrs Mah writes that she has come to terms with what has happened to her (her stepmother disinhereted her), the resentment seeps through the pages. Writing the book must have been therapeutic for her.

[Pat Morris-jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this. It’s informative, interesting for much of it. I guess each person will find different parts more interesting than others. However there is something missing. I’m not sure what. I thought it was emotion but I’m not sure that’s true. It’s just a bit dry in places maybe. I’m not sure. Anyway, generally interesting and I guess it’s prob a 3 and a half really out of 5 but ive been over generous lately and so this one pays the price! Sorry. It’s fine.

[Susan Rumsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully written book starting off about the relationship between a Chinese girl and her grandfather. The story is more about how Confucianism underlies almost every aspect of the intricate Chinese customs and culture. Easy to read and interesting, filled with insight and wisdom, I loved this book.