Introduction to the Joy Luck Club

The novel tells the story of four Chinese women who immigrated to San Francisco in the 1850s. Four Chinese immigrants who immigrated to the United States got to know each other by playing mahjong and established a club "The Joy Luck Club" together to express their expectations for a better life. These four Chinese women each have a daughter. As Chinese mothers, they have difficulties communicating with their American-born daughters and their daughters' lovers and friends. Obviously, this communication barrier comes from the different cultural backgrounds of mother and daughter. The mother grew up in traditional Chinese high-context culture, while their daughter grew up under the influence of American low-context culture.

The story shows the various contradictions and confusions faced by two generations of women on the margins. The daughters of the four mothers have received new education methods and lifestyles since they were young. There seems to be an incommunicable gap and difficult-to-resolve conflicts between mothers and daughters. However, the blood relationship and love that exist between mother and daughter prompted both parties to work hard to resolve their conflicts. In the end, they went from not understanding each other to understanding, and from never accepting to accepting.