The Nanking Store was written by Macario Tiu in 1999. The
setting was places in Davao City, like Bajada and Sta. Ana.
It is a story about two Chinese lovers who weren’t destined
for each other. After years of marriage, they still haven’t produced a child which
is considered bad in their culture. In the Chinese culture, it is very important
to produce a child, specifically a son because it is their way of spreading
their bloodline. In the story, Peter was the only hope of the Zhin family to
carry on its name to the next generations. Linda’s mother-in-law was very
unhappy with her that she scolded and slapped Linda in public. Unfortunately,
Peter died in a car accident and had two sons with a Visayan bar girl which was
called by the community as a “bad woman.” Linda became pregnant with no other
suspect but the driver.
FAMILY
The story talks about the importance of family. Some say, “Family
first before anyone else.” We came from a family and can’t live without them; therefore,
we should obey all the rules and regulations stated by them. In my own
point-of-view, we should also consider ourselves: oneself first before others. For
a person to become happy or satisfied, he must make decisions that will make
his life better. The family should respect and should adjust to the specific
need that was not met by a family member even though it would take years to
accept it. In the end, without the presence of one, they will not be considered
as a family.
CULTURE
It also talks about how a culture greatly affects a person.
Culture is traditional beliefs that were introduced by our ancestors. If the
person disobeys some aspects of the culture, then he is considered as a “nobody”
in the society. He is often talked about and becomes shameful of what he did.
In my own perspective, it is not important on how others look unto you. What is
important is that you are proud of what you are and who you are. It may affect you personally, but
who cares? They are also people like you that make mistakes.
BETRAYAL
The story shows examples of betrayal. Where? In the part
where everybody knew about Peter dating and had children by another woman and
Linda being pregnant by another man. If they were Catholics, they had committed
adultery. Married people entered a sacred sacrament and should live fully with
it without breaking it. They should be faithful to each other besides any
circumstances that they encounter. They should fight together and show other people how they are strongly bond by love.
With this story, I had created a simple quote:
