China's Grandmothers

Over The Past Century And A Half China Has Experienced Foreign Invasion Warfare Political Turmoil And Revolution Along With Massive Economic And Technological Change. Through All This Change There Is One Stable Element: Grandmothers As Child Carers Household Managers Religious Devotees Transmitters Of Culture And Above All Sources Of Love Warmth And Affection. In This Interdisciplinary And Longitudinal Study China''S Grandmothers Sheds Light On The Status And Lives Of Grandmothers In China Over The Years From The Late Qing Dynasty To The Twenty-First Century. Combining A Wide Range Of Historical And Biographical Materials Diana Lary Explores The Changes And Continuities In The Lives Of Grandmothers Through Revolution Wars And Radical Upheaval To The Present Phase Of Economic Growth. Informed By Her Own Experience As A Grandchild And Grandmother Lary Offers A Fresh And Compelling Way Of Looking At Gender Family And Ageing In Modern Chinese Society.