Discusses Eunice Tietjens as an important poet during the American "Chicago Literary Renaissance," her work experiences at Poetry magazine and the Chicago Daily News, and the impact of living for one year in Wuxi, China, on her poetry, particularly the background and value of her poetry collection Chinese Silhouettes. It also points out that her writings on China have not received sufficient attention in academia due to biases against women's writing, whereas her work actually contributed to cultural exchange between China and the United States.

I. The Veil of "Orientalism"

Explores the issue of how the East is mystified and exoticized in Western "Orientalist" narratives, pointing out that it is a cultural strategy for Western domination and control of the East, constructing a distorted image of the East by stripping away historical and social details. Using examples such as Yeats and Coleridge, it illustrates the static descriptions and romanticized treatment of the East in Western literature. It also analyzes the differences between American Orientalism and its European counterpart. Taking Tietjens as an example, it explains how her work attempts to break through the symbolic constraints of Orientalism, authentically presenting the social and cultural transformations in early 20th-century China, emphasizing the importance of witnessing and recording the truth, and showcasing the unique tension in her poetry between reality and illusion.

II. Correcting the Aesthetic Gaze: Tietjens and Chinese People

Tietjens corrects aesthetic prejudices against China in her poetry collection, believing that Chinese people share the same complex humanity as Americans, with emotional expressions that are difficult to understand due to different social structures. She creates two character types in her poems, "scholars" and "women," showcasing the fluidity and changes in Chinese culture and the fissures between individuals and tradition. In the "scholars" imagery, she depicts the contradiction between outward piety and actual conduct, reflecting the intersection of tradition and reality. In the "women" imagery, she is both captivated by the appearance of Chinese women and aware of the limitations of her own understanding, avoiding the simplification of women into aesthetic objects. Tietjens' poetry attempts to break through superficial and symbolic portrayals of Eastern figures, revealing a richer and more diverse social reality.

III. Shared Humanity and Empathy: Tietjens and Chinese Customs

Explores the life experiences and cultural observations of early 20th-century American poet Eunice Tietjens in China. Tietjens meticulously records Chinese New Year rituals, sedan chair experiences in Beijing, and wedding customs in Wuxi, demonstrating her deep understanding and empathy for Chinese culture. In the New Year customs, through her poem "Chinese New Year," she depicts the ritual of the Kitchen God's replacement, reflecting the tension between tradition and modernity in Chinese society. In the poem "Sedan Chair," she experiences the class divisions in traditional Chinese society, expressing sympathy for laborers and reflecting on social realities. In "Wedding Feast," she focuses on the plight of the bride, resisting Western stereotypes of Eastern marriages and demonstrating an understanding of shared human suffering. Tietjens' writing transcends simplistic "othering" narratives, successfully finding shared emotions in foreign lands, making her a true cultural mediator.

IV. Cultural Awareness Beyond the "Orientalist" Perspective: Tietjens and Chinese Architecture

Deeply explores Tietjens' profound insights into Chinese architecture and culture, particularly her descriptions of city walls and steel mills. City walls serve not only as defensive structures but also as carriers of history and culture. Through her depictions of walls, Tietjens reveals the suffering and hope in Chinese society, as well as the commonalities between Eastern and Western civilizations. Her portrayal of walls reflects both their practical functions and their deeper significance as metaphors for history and tradition. In "The Wall," Tietjens contrasts Eastern and Western civilizations, highlighting the tug-of-war between modernity and tradition in Chinese society. The contrast between the scenes inside and outside the wall exposes significant social fractures while expressing the helplessness and self-reflection of an outsider confronting the pain of a foreign society.

In "New China: The Steel Mill," Tietjens uses her observations at the Hanyang Steel Factory to reveal the struggles and hopes of China's steel industry in the early 20th century. She keenly captures the issue of integrating Western technology into Eastern society, exposing the "imported" nature of China's steel industry in terms of technology and management at the time, as well as its discord with the local society. The figure of the manager in the poem reflects the contradictions and struggles of China during its modernization process. Tietjens' writing transcends the traditional "Orientalist" perspective; she records individual experiences and social changes with an attitude of equality and empathy, demonstrating a profound understanding of Chinese historical agency and diversity. Her work not only documents the realities of Chinese society but also builds a more open and dialogic bridge of understanding between China and the United States, positioning her as an important catalyst and witness in promoting early Sino-American cross-cultural understanding.