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In 1921, the Chinese Communist Party was formed, sparking years of conflict between Communists and Nationalists. In 1937, Japan declared war on China. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, China and America entered into an alliance against Japan. In 1943, America repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a prejudiced policy that limited the number of Chinese immigrants in America. Once WWII ended, civil war erupted in China between Communists and Nationalists. In 1949, Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, established the People’s Republic of China.

After Mao Zedong took power, Amy Tan’s mother, Daisy, fled to America just as the character of Jing-mei’s mother did. Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966 in order to violently purge all remnants of capitalism and tradition and specifically pitted the younger generation against the old. These events led to a major population boom of Chinese immigrants in America and particularly in San Francisco where “Two Kinds” takes place. San Francisco became home to the largest Chinese enclave in America.

Amy Tan has been outspoken about her experience with this push and pull of cultures. In her works, she explores the generational pressure children of immigrants often feel to achieve the American Dream, and the disconnect it creates between their culture and that of their parents. She has said that as an assimilating child, she would purposely gravitate to American things and ignore all things Chinese. In 1977, Zedong died, and the Cultural Revolution ended. It wasn’t until Tan visited China for the first time in 1987 that she felt a connection to her Chinese heritage. Despite Tan’s feelings on how her work is contextualized, she is credited for a provoking a new interest in Asian American literature. 

Previous section Amy Tan and "Two Kinds" in Context

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