Shirley Tong/ Staff reporter

The book “Ties That Bind, Ties That Break” was written by Lensy Namioka. The story takes place in 1911 China. A lot is changing right now. Ailin, a determined and independent little girl, challenges the dreadful, outdated tradition of having her feet tied.

Though China is gradually embracing modern concepts during that mediaeval age, things may not be changing rapidly enough for young Ailin. She is a girl with intelligence, bravery, and strength who was born into a respectable family. She is supposed to bind her feet in order to make herself more acceptable to potential spouses. When Ailin was born, the practise of tying feet was already popular. Foot binding has historically been a cultural practise base on genders.  Ailin is fighting against herself, either sticking to her beliefs; if not sticking to herself or doing what everyone tells her to do.

Ailin frequently came up with several options for fixing her issues. when Big Uncle asked her to be his concubine and bear sons for other members of the family. Ailin found her teacher, who advised her to work as an amah at the home of her friends. She was able to turn down her uncle’s request. She subsequently made a number of choices that would affect the rest of her life. She immigrated to America with them after attending Warner’s home to become an amah. She also fell in love with James there. She is bold and determined. She will continue after expressing her own views. Ailin learns as she gets older how helpless women are in Chinese culture.

The author wants to show how petty China was at that time. At that time, the Republic of China held monopoly authority. Patriarchy, which was created to control women dominates culture. We must now place a higher priority on the present moment of our life. Don’t allow the current civilization to return to the time when people were unable to support themselves.

Overall, this book is very touching. It accurately captures the state of society during the time of the Republic of China period. We need to take some time to consider how pedantically incompetent and authoritarian the Republic of China was. The ups and downs of the story will be enjoyed by readers with an interest in Chinese history, and they will look forward to Ailin’s continued development