Xiao-Long (Father) in Daughters of Shandong: Character Analysis

Overview

Xiao-Long, the father in Eve J. Chung's Daughters of Shandong, is a figure defined less by what he does than by what he fails to do. The eldest son of the Ang family, he follows the scholarly path his father Yei Yei set for him, defers to his mother Nai Nai's authority, and abandons his wife and daughters when the Communist advance threatens the family's safety. His later reunion with his family in Taiwan and his eventual decision to leave the Ang household represent the novel's most significant test of his character—one that Hai, the narrator, reads as an attempt at amends even as she stops short of forgiveness.

Plot Role

Xiao-Long's choices structure the novel's central displacement. His agreement to leave Chiang-Yue and the girls behind in Zhucheng (Chapter 3) sets the family's separation in motion, and his flight to Qingdao and then Taiwan (Chapter 12) creates the long gap that the women must cross on their own. His letter, delivered by Uncle Sen, is the first concrete evidence that the Ang men are alive and in Taiwan, and it reorients the family's journey from survival in Hong Kong toward reunification. When the family finally arrives in Taipei, Xiao-Long's failure to protect them from Nai Nai's hostility nearly breaks the household apart—until his unexpected decision to move out with his wife and daughters redirects the family's fate toward Douliu.

Motivations and Traits

Xiao-Long's defining trait is passivity. Hai describes him as being like a jellyfish, floating along with whatever current captures him (Chapter 31), and the novel supports this reading through his consistent deference to his parents. He rarely raises his voice to them; when he does argue for fleeing Shandong, he does so with frustration but ultimately yields to Nai Nai's and Yei Yei's plan to leave Chiang-Yue behind. His question to his wife—whether she is willing to stay alone—is framed as a question but functions as an expectation, and he does not push back when the decision is made.

His motivations appear to be a mix of filial duty, fear, and self-preservation. He is genuinely alarmed by the Communist advance and argues for escape with real urgency. But he also prioritizes his parents' wishes over his wife's safety, and he does not send for his family once he reaches Taiwan. Hai catalogs the excuses—exit regulations, boat tickets, the danger of the journey, Nai Nai's need for her son—and she reads these as evidence that the love other men showed their families was simply missing between Father and them (Chapter 30).

Yet Xiao-Long is not entirely without conviction. When Nai Nai demands that his wife and daughters leave the Taipei household, he kneels, kowtows, and declares that they are his family and he is responsible for them. Then he goes further, announcing that he will move out with them. This is the novel's clearest instance of Xiao-Long acting on his own judgment against his mother's wishes, and it surprises even Hai and Di, who are so accustomed to disappointment that they don't know how to react.

Chronological Arc

Xiao-Long's arc moves from dutiful son to absent husband and father to reluctant defender of his family.

In Zhucheng, he is present but passive. He confesses his complicity when Mom is expelled for concealing her pregnancy (Chapter 1), but he does not prevent her punishment. When Three falls ill with tuberculosis, he joins Nai Nai in refusing to spend money on a doctor for a girl child (Chapter 2). When the family debates fleeing, he argues for escape but accepts the plan to leave Chiang-Yue and the girls behind (Chapter 3).

In Qingdao and Taiwan, he is absent. He follows Uncle Jian's warning and boards one of the last boats leaving Shandong (Chapter 12). He writes a letter to Chiang-Yue, delivered through Uncle Sen, explaining that they cannot return to Zhucheng. He does not attempt to bring his family to Taiwan, and Hai's resentment grows as she watches other men risk everything to reunite with their families.

At the reunion in Taipei, he is welcoming but unrepentant. He greets his wife and daughters with gratitude to the gods, but he never apologizes for leaving them. Hai notes that in Chinese culture it was inappropriate for a child to air such grievances to a parent, and the family simply doesn't discuss what happened.

The turning point comes when Nai Nai demands the women leave. Xiao-Long's decision to move out with them—supported by Yei Yei, who arranges a teaching position in Douliu—marks his first significant act of loyalty to his wife and children over his mother. Hai accepts this as his attempt to make amends, though she cannot say she forgives him.

Relationships

With Nai Nai: Xiao-Long is deeply subordinate to his mother. He kneels and kowtows to her, and he initially agrees that his wife and children cannot live in the household if their presence causes her stress. His decision to move out is a break with this pattern, and Nai Nai's wailing reaction underscores how much it costs him.

With Yei Yei: Xiao-Long follows the scholarly path his father set for him, in contrast to his brother Uncle Jian's rebellion. Yei Yei ultimately supports Xiao-Long's move to Douliu, providing both moral backing and a practical opportunity.

With Chiang-Yue: The marriage is strained by Xiao-Long's abandonment and his failure to protect her. Mom moves stiffly and self-consciously at the reunion, and Hai wishes she had charged past that threshold with her head high. Yet Xiao-Long's decision to leave the Ang household with her suggests a belated commitment. He tells Nai Nai that he and Chiang-Yue will teach their girls well.

With Hai and Di: Hai is pragmatic—she accepts his attempt at amends and moves forward, though she doesn't forgive him. Di is unforgiving; she despises him and cannot let go of her anger. The sisters' differing responses become a source of conflict between them.

With Uncle Jian: Xiao-Long's brother is the family's lifeline, using his military connections to secure passage to Taiwan. Xiao-Long follows his brother's advice, and Uncle Jian later facilitates the family's entry permits.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Leaving Chiang-Yue and the girls in Zhucheng (Chapter 3): This decision separates the family for years and forces the women to survive the Communist takeover, the journey to Hong Kong, and the refugee camps on their own. It also plants the resentment that Di never overcomes.

2. Fleeing to Taiwan (Chapter 12): Xiao-Long's flight, urged by Uncle Jian, saves the Ang men from the Communist land reforms that devastated landlord families. But it also means he is absent when his wife and daughters need him most.

3. Not sending for his family (Chapters 12–30): This is less a single decision than a pattern of inaction. Hai catalogs the excuses—exit regulations, boat tickets, danger, Nai Nai's needs—and concludes that the love was simply missing.

4. Moving out with his family (Chapter 31): This is Xiao-Long's most consequential choice. It breaks with Nai Nai's authority, relocates the family to Douliu, and gives Chiang-Yue a home where she can live as a family member instead of a servant. Hai reads it as an attempt at amends.

5. Supporting Hai's marriage to Jia-Shen (Chapter 36): Xiao-Long is eager for the match, valuing Jia-Shen's connections and reputation. His concern about scandal and spinsterhood reflects his investment in social standing.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Xiao-Long embodies the novel's exploration of gender discrimination and the devaluation of daughters. His refusal to spend money on Three's medical care—a decision made jointly with Nai Nai—is one of the novel's starkest examples of how girl children are valued less than boys. His failure to name Li-Lan at birth (Chapter 2) reinforces this pattern.

His flight to Taiwan connects to displacement and refugee survival and class persecution and revolutionary violence. The Angs' wealth as landowners makes them targets, and Xiao-Long's urgency about fleeing reflects a real awareness of the danger. Yet his escape also means abandoning his family to that danger.

His relationship with his mother touches on maternal sacrifice and intergenerational legacy, though in an inverted form: Nai Nai's tyranny drives the family apart, while Chiang-Yue's sacrifice holds it together. Xiao-Long's eventual choice to side with his wife over his mother is a small but significant break in the pattern of filial obedience.

Finally, his presence in Taiwan and the family's move to Douliu connect to memory, homeland, and identity in exile. Xiao-Long is a mainlander who has rebuilt his life on the island, and his family's arrival forces him to reckon with the gap between his new life and the one he left behind.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Xiao-Long leave his wife and daughters in Zhucheng?

Xiao-Long agrees to the plan because his parents propose it and he defers to their authority. Nai Nai suggests that Chiang-Yue stay behind to protect the family's property and light incense for the ancestors, and Yei Yei endorses the idea. Xiao-Long's question to Chiang-Yue—whether she is willing to stay alone—is framed as a question but functions as an expectation. He does not argue against the plan, and he leaves with his parents for Qingdao.

2. Does Xiao-Long ever apologize for abandoning his family?

No. The novel states explicitly that Father never apologized for leaving them in Zhucheng (Chapter 32). The family simply doesn't discuss what happened, and Hai notes that in Chinese culture it was inappropriate for a child to air such grievances to a parent.

3. Why does Xiao-Long decide to move out of the Ang household in Taipei?

When Nai Nai demands that Chiang-Yue and the girls leave, Xiao-Long first agrees that they cannot live there if their presence causes her stress. But then he announces that he will move out with them. Hai wonders whether the decision stems from guilt, obligation, or possibly love. Yei Yei supports the move and arranges a teaching position in Douliu.

4. How do Hai and Di respond differently to their father?

Hai accepts his departure from the Ang household as his attempt to make amends and moves forward, though she cannot say she forgives him. Di cannot let go; she says she despises him and that hatred is easy while forgiveness is hard, and she doesn't think Father is worth that effort. Their differing responses become a source of conflict between the sisters.

5. What does Xiao-Long's character reveal about the novel's treatment of fathers and filial duty?

Xiao-Long's passivity and deference to his mother illustrate how filial piety can override a husband's and father's responsibilities. His refusal to spend money on Three's medical care and his failure to send for his family reflect the devaluation of daughters and wives within the patriarchal family structure. His eventual decision to move out with his family is a rare moment of defiance, but it comes late and is never accompanied by an apology or acknowledgment of harm.

For further discussion of whether Hai or Di could ever forgive their father, see the questions and answers page, and for how the family's move to Douliu shapes the novel's conclusion, see the ending explained page.