Saving Grandmother's Face: And Other Tales from Christian Teachers in China

Description: An elderly peasant woman lives with her coffin in the kitchen. An American teacher is adopted by a village family. An eccentric grandfather teaches Chinese to his American student by jumping around the room and other perilous pantomimes. China is a vast and populous nation which demands our understanding. But while newspaper headlines commonly focus on politics and economics Saving Grandmothers Face written by Christian university teachers in China recounts their experiences in the classroom and in the countryside celebrating a childs birth and mourning a childs death grading papers and discussing Chinese literature. Through these stories you will see a side of China often left out-the human side. Endorsements: This collection of authentic and engaging vignettes conveys the flavor and feelings of being an American teacher in China and opens a set of windows onto aspects of daily life in China that most American visitors would not otherwise get to see. These stories invite the reader into a fascinating variety of experiences--and also invite the reader to respond thoughtfully and reflectively to these experiences. --Don Snow Nanjing University This delightful collection of cultural vignettes takes you into the living room of the charming Mr. Yang who makes you laugh out loud to the funeral of a thirteen-year student where tragedy closes all cultural divides. The stories demonstrate that these Christian English teachers are learning as much as they are teaching. Saving Grandmothers Face is a window into the lives of these modern day missionaries and the people they are privileged to know --Mary Shepard Wong Azusa Pacific University This book is a must buy for anyone planning to live or travel extensively in China or work with people from China here in the U.S. There is special insight into the changed lives of teachers as they interact with students. There is precious treasure in the good-humored reflections on Chinese habits of the heart. These well-written stories illustrate why the late former Ambassador to China James Lilley frequently praised our teachers in China as Americas best ambassadors and they underscore the importance of unofficial American-Chinese social and cultural relations. --Carol Lee Hamrin George Mason University About the Contributor(s): Aminta Arrington graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton Illinois and has an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She also studied for one year at Waseda University in Tokyo Japan. She has taught English at Taishan Medical University in Taian Shandong Province China since 2006.