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Excerpt Suddenly a wire snapped. The beads bounced onto the desk and rolled across the floor. Gao Mai fell to her knees and crawled around after them. Just as she reached for the last bead, her best friend Li Zhi kicked it away from her hand. The other children giggled. Gao Mai’s face burned. Gao Mai opened her eyes wide and sat up in alarm. What an awful dream! The comforting aroma of steamy, overcooked rice drifted in from the next room. She pushed aside the heavy quilt, got up from the floor and put on her school uniform “Are your ready for the big day?” Gao Mai’s mother asked her as she came into the main room of the apartment. Gao Mai sat down at the table and helped herself to dried meat, eel and pickled cucumber. The dream was fresh in her mind. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Remember what I told you,” said Gao Mai’s father, “Imagine the abacus is part of you.” He smiled at her. “You did so well when we practiced.” It was true. During a few of her many timed drills she was even faster than her father. And he used the abacus every day at the bank. “Don’t worry,” said her mother. “You’re one of the best abacus students in your class.” “But what about Li Zhi?” asked Gao Mai. “She’s beaten me every year.” “Last time it was only by one second. You’ve improved so much, I’m sure you’ll win. Besides,” continued her mother, as she lit the incense on the altar where the family ancestors were honored, “you were born under the lucky sign of the horse. I went to the temple yesterday and said a special prayer for you.” Gao Mai looked at her watch. “I have to go.” “Good luck, “ said her mother. “Good luck,” said her father. “I’ll be thinking about you all morning.” Gao Mai ran downstairs to the street and walked quickly through the open market. One farmer had spread a piece of burlap on the pavement and piled it high with cut sugarcane. Her mouth watered as she thought of sucking the sweet juice from the snowy white center. Gao Mai glanced at the fish swimming around in a shallow metal pan. Tonight they would be on someone’s plate, maybe even her own. She reached the school just as the bell rang. Outside her classroom some boys were playing jian zhi. Her classmate, Kun Pei, scored one point after another by kicking the jian zhi into the air over and over again without letting it hit the ground. Gao Mai walked into the classroom and Kun Pei yelled: “I won!” During last year’s abacus contest Li Zhi had beaten Kun Pei by four seconds, and Gao Mai had beaten him by three seconds. Today she was hoping to beat both of them. Gao Mai watched Li Zhi’s braids bounce as she tapped everyone on the way to her desk. She knew Li Zhi loved practical jokes and could tell by her mischievous look that she might play one at any moment. Gao Mai smiled while thinking of jokes they had played on their classmates together. Last week they had even played one on Li Zhi’s mother. Yesterday Li Zhi had invited her to come over after school today so that they could think of a trick to play on her brother, Da Wei. “Don’t forget who won last year,” said Li Zhi, sitting down behind her. She tugged on Gao Mai’s ponytail and giggled. “That was last year.” Gao Mai leaned away and said, “If you pull my hair again, I’m not going to your house today.” Li Zhi leaned forward to grab Gao Mai’s ponytail but only caught the tip. Gao Mai started to say: That’s it, I’m not going to your house today. But the teacher arrived and the class stood up to greet him. “Ni hao?” said Mr. Wang. “While everyone is nice and fresh, we’ll begin with the abacus contest.“ He passed out booklets filled with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. “Open to the first page and begin with number one. When all the exercises are completed, return your booklet to my desk and I’ll write the final time. Ready?” He paused. “Begin!” Gao Mai’s left hand moved down the column of numbers rapidly, wrote the answers and turned the test pages. The fingers on her right hand flew back and forth among the smooth, black beads of the abacus. In a few minutes she was writing the last answer to the addition problems. Gao Mai began subtracting and a moment later heard pages turning. Everyone was right behind her! She worked carefully. It was easy to make a subtraction mistake, especially when exchanging a higher bead for lesser ones. After finishing the last subtraction problem she heard Li Zhi’s page turn. Gao Mai frantically turned to the multiplication but two pages were stuck together. She pulled them apart with shaking hands. Barely breathing, Gao Mai sped through the multiplication and division. Finally she wrote down the last answer, jumped from her seat and collided with Li Zhi. Two desks in front of them, Kun Pei rushed up and dropped his booklet on the teacher’s desk. “Oh, no!” yelled Li Zhi. “It’s not fair!” She and Gao Mai dropped their booklets on the desk immediately after him. “Quiet down, everyone,” said the teacher. Gao Mai returned to her desk and slumped in the seat, unaware of the other students handing in their booklets. Her bad dream had come true. “Time for recess,” said Mr. Wang, “while I check the answers.” Gao Mai was the last to go outside. “Come on,” yelled Ping Mei, wanting her to come and jump rope. But she shook her head. Across the playground, Li Zhi motioned for her to come and play tag with some of their friends. But Gao Mai turned away. As he kicked the Jian zhi into the air, Kun Pei bragged to a group of boys about winning the abacus contest. Gao Mai thought of her father’s jian zhi at home on top of the TV. Father! Gao Mai knew he’d be disappointed that she hadn’t won. The bell rang and everyone piled back into the classroom. She heard Li Zhi behind her, laughing. “Hurry up, slowpoke!” she said, pushing past her. Gao Mai secretly wished she could be carefree, like Li Zhi. Mr. Wang stood up with the winning certificates in his hand. “Third-place winner of this year’s abacus contest is Zong Zong.” The class applauded and a small girl with thick glasses walked quickly to the front of the room and shook hands with the teacher. “The second-place certificate goes to Kun Pei,” Mr. Wang continued. Kun Pei came forward, looking as if he were about to cry. “You were first to get your booklet in,” Mr. Wang said as he handed him a certificate. “But one answer was wrong.” Gao Mai was confused. She turned around and looked into Li Zhi’s bewildered face. “Now,” began the teacher, “we have an unusual situationone that has never happened to me before. First place in speed and accuracy goes to Li Zhi, last year’s first-place winner, and also to Gao Mai, last year’s second-place winner. Gao Mai turned and looked at Li Zhi. They burst out laughing and hurried to the front of the room. “Here’s a first-place certificate for both of you,” said Mr. Wang. As Gao Mai shook hands with the teacher, she decided it was a good day to go to Li after all.
back to The Abacus Contest |
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Although these stories could have happened in many small cities in Taiwan and China, they take place in the small manufacturing city of Chiai in southern Taiwan. The children in the stories are like children everywhere, with the Chinese culture playing an important role. An emphasis on doing well in school, the role of ancestors and elders, religion, and other cultural details make this an enlightening set of stories for young readers. Print this page out or download a text-only copy in MS Word.
Making Walnut Cookies Ingredients: 1-3/4 cups flour Steps:
Makes 36-40 cookies
All About Taiwan Resources needed:
Steps:
Pigeon Thief Game Resources needed:
Steps:
I Remember Poems Resources needed:
Steps:
Researching Your Background Resources needed:
Steps:
Read the story aloud. Discuss Mao Sheng's feelings about going to his
grandfather's home for the weekend. Ask the students if they have ever had to miss something special because of a family obligation. Discuss how Mao Sheng discovered that he was doing the right thing after all.
Have an ancestral fair. Have the students share their reports. Have each student bring one representative food or prepared item to share. The student should also bring the recipe. Compile all the recipes into a booklet for all the students.
Research Resources needed:
Steps:
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Review The Abacus Contest, stories from Taiwan and China, is a collection of short stories about young teens in present-day Chiai, Taiwan. Wu’s themes are complex, yet familiar. Powerful issues engage the reader, such as parental versus self-expectations, winning versus honor, death as a part of life and culture clashes between Taiwan and the United States. Li’s black-and-white sketches open up each story, poignantly illustrating its focus. Although each story stands alone, the main characters are all classmates, so there is a feeling of continuity in getting to know some of them in greater depth. The stories are introspective and encourage readers to consider feelings and values. Wu weaves in urban, rural and Chinese culture through names, foods, geography, relationships and traditions. The introduction, story notes and glossary provide helpful background information, as well as language pronunciation and meaning. These thoughtful stories are good conversation starters, especially between youths and adults. I was particularly moved by “Returning to the Ancestral Home,” a journey made reluctantly by a middle school student, Mao Sheng, with his father to visit grandfather. Mao Sheng can only think about the big playoff soccer game which he, the center forward, is missing. However, Mao Sheng unexpectedly must play a real-life heroic role and discovers pride in the rightness of being in his ancestral home. “Zong Zong Goes to Disneyland” portrays the tension between a U.S.-born and a Taiwan-born cousin. Disneyland, as both a status symbol and a cultural export, is a beautifully ironic backdrop for Zong Zong’s encounter with the spirit world, U.S.-style. Wu’s collection contributes to the depth and range of young adult works available. It’s a good opportunity to learn how other youths deal with dilemmas that have no easy answers. —Tracy A.M. Lai back to The Abacus Contest |
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Gao Mai’s fingers flew back and forth over the smooth black beads of the abacus.
Curriculum for