I had higher hopes for this book. This “essential guide to Chinese American Celebrations and Culture” is too basic. If a Chinese American grew up disconnected from their culture, perhaps an adoptee, this book might be useful. Now a days with internet, I can find nearly all information faster online and with more depth than what is included in this book. I was also disappointed the author chose to not include much Chinese characters beyond the chapter titles. The author did an ok-enough job of being inclusive of regional traditions. The personal viewpoints are of of hers only, an American born Chinese in San Francisco. Published in 2005, her research would have been at the start of internet use, so I can understand why the contents feel very high-level with limited information. Unfortunately, this book has become obsolete.

The Chapters are:
Chinese New Year
Qing Ming – Clear Brightness Festival (this is a literal translation that few people use)
Dragon Boat Festival
Double Seventh Day (interesting, but not much of a thing for most folks)
Hungry Ghosts Festival (interesting, but varies widely across China and Asia)
Weddings
Red Egg and Ginger Party to Celebrate New Babies
Big Birthdays (meaning significant birthdays for elders)
Funerals
Table Etiquette and Other Delicacies (meh chapter, limited info and not memorable) ( )

Great book on the culture of Chinese-Americans. Everything you need to know about holidays and traditions. She even gives you recipes to go with the holidays. ( )

Very informative- read my parents' copy, which they got after my grandmother passed and my grandfather had been invited to a wedding shortly after the funeral- we weren't sure if it'd be in poor taste for him to go if it'd spread ill will. Need to get a copy of my own at some point... ( )

I found this book to be a bright and pleasant introduction or refresher to those seeking insight into Chinese-American cultural celebrations. I could see this book being a fabulous gift for someone who is marrying into a Chinese family, or someone who is Chinese but hasn't been raised along strict traditions or had the rituals explained. Gong plainly states what food is served or not served, what food and flowers and numbers symbolize, the history and mythologies behind rituals, and includes incredibly useful timelines on how to plan and purchase items for a celebration. There are also numerous recipes; some of the ingredients might be a challenge to obtain unless you live near a Chinatown or a well-stocked international grocery, but it still makes for fascinating reading. ( )

A good primer on Chinese festivities and customs written in simple auntie style that targets, contrary to its subtitle, mostly non-Chinese readers. I don't think that actual Chinese or Chinese Americans will learn much from this collection of shared background knowledge. Centered on family life, the author explains and illustrates popular Chinese festivities and customs with stories, recipes and checklists. Whether the book's obsession with checklists is due more to its American or Chinese roots I cannot tell. At least, now I know where I can look up the steps necessary to plan a Chinese funeral should this need ever arise. Curiously missing from the book is a chapter on housewarming and interior decoration, always popular in such type of books.

The author also evades the tricky topics of minor culture clashes: Only if a neat solution already exists (such as the bride marrying in a Western white dress before changing into a Chinese red dress), is it mentioned. How does the distinct practice of giving Western first names to children compute with the naming schemes described in the book? Should one celebrate one's Western 30th or the equivalent Chinese 31st birthday? On the day itself or during the Chinese New Year? A glimpse at the author's necessarily arbitrary custom in practice would have been more interesting to me than the general vagueness of the book. With its practical focus on family relations and food, it nicely complements Vivien Sung's Five-fold happiness. ( )