My name is Mao An Li, I was born on August 12, 1912, and I am a boy. I have one younger brother and I am the product of a rare matrilocal marriage. My father ran away from home in northern China because he did not want the hardworking and often demoralizing life of a poor peasant farmer. Additionally, my maternal grandparents failed to have a son. So, when my mother and father met, a matrilocal marriage made sense even though it goes against traditional Confucian norms. My grandfather was elated to accept my father into their family with the goal of keeping their daughter near to care for them in their old age. While my maternal grandparents were still peasants, they lived a more prosperous life in a small village outside Xi’an in Shaanxi province because they were able to rent out their extra land, which enabled my grandfather to eventually gain the opportunity to become a trading merchant. After becoming a more ‘wealthy’ landowner and moving in Xi’an proper, his two incomes provided our family with financial security after the fall of traditional China in 1911. Happily enjoying his retirement, my grandfather passed the day-to-day operations of his business and our lands to my father who is often away trading in major cities. I decided to pursue college in Shanghai, the cultural and industrial heart of China, to gain experiences with foreign culture and life outside of central China. I have the hopes of one day returning to my hometown to increase my family’s name and standing in society. I have taken this job as a journalist with the hopes of traveling and meeting new people, and enhancing the writing skills I picked up as a history major in college. One thing that has me concerned is the talk of a revolutionary class struggle with a massive peasant takeover. I feel as though the system needs to be reformed and overthrown to give more opportunities for peasants to move up like my grandfather did.
