Tea-Shop Reminiscences by Elizabeth Gill

Tea-Shop Reminiscences by Elizabeth Gill

The Messenger Volume 55. No. 5 1929

Pg 13 (1 of 3)

Elizabeth Gill, a Westhampton Student was widely involved around campus. In her time as a student she was on the 1928 Sophomore Women play committee, the 1929 vice president of the Debaters club, the Assistant Editor of the 1929 Messenger, and the 1931 Westhampton May Queen. She writes a short story describing the romantic but yet isolated feeling that accompanies a beautiful traditional Chinese Tea-Room, possibly shadowing the excitement contrasted with isolation and discrimination felt by Chinese students at Richmond College. Close attention should be paid to some of the phrasing that Gill chooses to use to represent the Chinese characters in her story ( i.e.: "stories of gods and heroes painted by a yellow skinned artist..." as the prejudiced behavior that Chinese students experienced becomes clear. However, focus should also be drawn to the descriptive way that Gill discusses Chinese arts, items, traditions, and rituals as it shows that there was a general interest in learning more about Chinese culture and ways in which it was different than American culture, possibly alluding to the interest in American students to learn more from and about their Chinese peers.

Virginia Baptist Historical Society

Richmond,VA

1929

Caroline Weber