Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis

China is living under Japanese rule. Chinese children go to school in unheated, dilapidated buildings, are taught by cruel Japanese teachers, and are forced to kowtow to all Japanese, even young children. One day, a man comes to Dr. Xia with severe stomach pain. The people are allowed only acorn meal and sorghum and the man isn't able to properly digest the food. Dr. Xia gives the man some medicine and a small bag of rice Yu-Fang purchased illegally on the black market. The man ate the rice, vomited at his job, and was arrested after the guards saw that he'd eaten rice. He was imprisoned where he soon died. His wife drowned herself and their newborn baby. Yu-Fang and Dr. Xia feel responsible and are angry at the Chinese government for allowing the situation to occur. Dr. Xia's youngest son...