Abstract:

"East Wind, West Wind follows the extraordinary life of Pearl Buck (1892-1973), a missionary child who was raised in rural China and developed a deep affection for the Chinese people she lived among. She became one of the most popular American writers of the 20th Century, especially for her best-selling novel, The Good Earth. Through her sympathetic eyes, the harsh life of the Chinese peasantry became vivid for westerners. The film interweaves fascinating early footage of both rural and urban China, with interviews with Asian scholars and her contemporaries. She holds the distinction of being the first American woman to win the Nobel prize, and she used her celebrity to draw attention to many social issues of her time. She was an outspoken advocate for women's rights, civil rights, the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, mixed race adoption, and tolerance for the mentally retarded. "