Transnational Filial Eldercare and Gender Negotiation in Fan Wu’s <i>Beautiful as Yesterday: A Novel</i>

Abstract

This paper examines Fan Wu’s Beautiful as Yesterday?A Novel (2009) through Lynn Jamieson’s concept of intimacy practices and Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. It focuses on Mary, a Mainland China-born, US-based “eldest-daughter-as-son” who undertakes transnational eldercare for her mother, Fenglan. The study explores how filial piety is reshaped when Chinese Confucian ethics meets American individualism. It argues that eldercare is a dynamic, culturally shaped performance that reconstructs gender identity. Mary’s evolution from a duty-bound provider to an emotionally invested agent shows how intimacy practices disrupt patriarchal norms, creating a daughterhood that meets son-coded obligations while nurturing expressive care. Meanwhile, Fenglan’s self-disclosure challenges the self-effacing Chinese mother archetype, fostering a more intimate intergenerational bond. The paper demonstrates how intimacy practices act as micro-sites where global cultural flows reshape family ethics, offering a framework for understanding contemporary Chinese American women’s literature.