"Feathers From A Thousand Li Away" by Amy Tan

     The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan tells the intertwining story of four Chinese women who have immigrated to the United States, specifically San Francisco, CA, and how their lives have an effect on their American-born daughters. The Joy Luck Club is broken up into a series of short stories, the first one being "Feathers From A Thousand Li Away. The first narrator is Jing-mei Woo, who goes by the American name June. Her mother Suyuan Woo has recently passed and it is up to June to figure out how the weekly Mah Jong game will continue. Mah Jong is a game almost like dominos with a set of complicated rules and it is meant to be played by four people.
     June mentions her mother's struggles in China while the Communist party was rising up in the 40's. Yet, there was always a glimmer of hope, which was the Mah Jong game that served as a distraction from the destruction in China. June includes the moments when her mother is traveling to the United States and how all they could bring was a trunk filled with the most precious silk dresses. When Suyuan and three other woman decide to form a Mah Jong game in San Francisco, it is an event. They feast on traditional Chinese delicacies and they gossip but they also just celebrate being together and sharing their similar experiences. June notes how they never truly mention the negatives of the stories, but they choose to focus on the positive aspects.
     Soon, June is asked to replace her mother's spot at the Mah Jong table but she is apprehensive. Regardless, she attends the weekly Mah Jong game and learns a secret that her mother was unable to share with her before she died. She actually has two sisters that her mother was desperately searching for, and she actually succeeded in finding their address. Unfortunately, she was not able to meet them again before she passed. Therefore, June takes on this responsibility to fulfill her mother's wishes.