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00:00:00 – 00:22:03
The video discusses the themes of family separation, financial struggles, and intergenerational storytelling, focusing on the characters' experiences with the "land of the golden mountain" and their connection to Chinese heritage. Through kite-flying and ancestral tales, the narrators explore themes of resilience, determination, and familial duty. The story highlights the sacrifices made by family members working overseas and the impact on those left behind. The narrators grapple with fears and obligations tied to their heritage, symbolized by the allure and dangers of the golden mountain. The importance of preserving cultural traditions and honoring familial legacies is evident throughout the narrative.
00:00:00
In this segment of the video, the teacher introduces the novel “Dragon Wings” by Lawrence Yep to sixth graders. The teacher reads a preview from the inside cover setting the scene of a city in turmoil after an event. The chapter one titled “The Land of the Demons” introduces the protagonist’s desire to learn about the Golden Mountain. The time period is specified as February to March of 1903, providing historical context. The protagonist’s father left China to work in a place referred to as the “demon land,” where there was both money and danger.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker talks about their mother being overworked due to various responsibilities on the farm, such as growing rice, tending to the pig and chickens, and managing household chores. The speaker’s mother avoids discussing the “land of the golden mountain,” where the father is located, out of fear. The father works there, but wives are not allowed to join their husbands, leading to long separations. Financial factors also play a role, with husbands sending money back home.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the narrator describes how their mother and grandmother decided to invest money from the father in buying land and livestock. Despite financial constraints, the family stays resilient due to their lineage as descendants of the Tang dynasty. The mother’s patience wears thin when waiting to hear news from overseas, but she ensures the narrator knows their father’s talent in making marvelous kites. The narrator recounts a fond memory of flying kites with their mother on a hill near the village, emphasizing the skill and joy behind the activity.
00:09:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker’s mother taught them how to fly a kite. They learned to guide the kite into the winds, likening the experience to sending a hound hunting for sunbeams. The mother emphasized the importance of staying alert to prevent the winds from tearing or dropping the kite. Despite initial struggles, the speaker eventually became adept at flying the kite, even mastering their father’s special kites, one of which was a sharply climbing swallow kite. Flying kites was portrayed as an art form, with the speaker’s father’s kites being described as the most balanced, strong, and beautiful. The speaker’s achievement of flying the special kites brought pride to both themselves and their mother.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the narrator talks about flying kites with their mother and grandmother. The kites were a way for the mother to escape her worries and feel young again. The grandmother explains why America is called the land of the golden mountain, describing a mythical mountain where gold can be collected when the sun warms it. The grandmother mentions demons that guard the mountain and beat up anyone trying to take the gold. The narrator questions why their father doesn’t go get the gold instead of washing clothes, and the grandmother implies that the demons may have captured the narrator’s grandfather while trying to sneak gold.
00:15:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker describes the physical deformities and health issues faced by villagers who had returned from overseas. The narrator thought their conditions were due to torture but later learned they were a result of a life of hard work. A cousin named Handclap visited, expressing intentions to return to the land of the golden mountain for reasons beyond what he claimed. He compared everything in his village to things he had seen during his youth, often embellishing and exaggerating details. Handclap shared his discontent with his family life, mentioning being married but spending many years apart from his wife.
00:18:00
In this segment of the video, Handclap receives a letter from his father urging him to cross the sea and learn the demon tongue at a young age. Despite objections from his mother and grandmother, who fear for his safety, Handclap remains unperturbed and determined to follow his father’s wishes. This marks a significant moment in the narrator’s life, as he contemplates his absent father’s life in the demon land through the warm letters received.
00:21:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker talks about feeling afraid of the golden mountain but feeling obligated to join his father who lived there. Despite the fear, there is a sense of rightness in following his father’s wishes. The speaker expresses a willingness to obey his father even if it means facing something frightening. The segment ends with the speaker expressing his desire to go to the golden mountain to his mother and grandmother.