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EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed
on 2/23/2021 12:43 AM via SAN FRANCISCO
STATE UNIV
AN: 34572 ; Marlon K. Hom.; Songs of Gold Mountain :
Cantonese Rhymes From San Francisco Chinatown
Account: sfsu
Page iii
Songs of Gold Mountain
Cantonese Rhymes From San Francisco Chinatown
Marlon K. Hom
EBSCOhost - printed on 2/23/2021 12:43 AM via SAN
FRANCISCO STATE UNIV. All use subject to
https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use
Page iv
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
Oxford, England

© 1987 by The Regents of the University of California
First Paperback Printing 1992
Printed in the United States of America
An abridged version of the second half of the introductory essay
appeared
in Western Folklore (1983); song 16 appeared in Amerasia Jour
nal (1982);
songs 2–
9, 11, 12, 14, and 16 appeared in Greenfield Review (1983)
Renditions of these rhymes are slightly different in the present
volume.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chin-shan ko chi. English.
Songs of Gold Mountain.
Translation of: Chin-shan ko chi.
1. Chinese poetry—California—San Francisco—
Translations into
English. 2. English poetry—
Translations from Chinese. 3. Chinese
poetry—California—San Francisco. 4. Chinese poetry—
20th century.

5. China—Emigration and immigration—Poetry. 6. California—
Emigration and immigration—
Poetry. 7. Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.)—
Poetry. I. Hom, Marlon K. II. Title.
PL3164.5.E5C54 1987 895.1'1 86-11234
ISBN 0-520-08104-8
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirem
ents of American National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI 39.48-1984.
Page v
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Translator's Note x
An Introduction to Cantonese Vernacular Rhymes from San Fra
ncisco

Chinatown
3
The Songs of Gold Mountain
1. Immigration Blues 71
2. Lamentations of Stranded Sojourners 91
3. Lamentations of Estranged Wives 111
4. Nostalgic Blues 148
5. Rhapsodies on Gold 176
6. Songs of Western Influence and the American-borns 203
7. Nuptial Rhapsodies 231
8. Ballads of the Libertines 252
9. Songs of the Young at Heart 269
10. Songs of Prodigals and Addicts 288
11. Songs of the Hundred Men's Wife 308

Page vii
Acknowledgments
In the course of doing research on Chinese American literature,
I came across a “Wooden Barracks” poem at the Angel Island I
mmigration Station, written by a
Cantonese immigrant sometime between 1910 and 1930. I have t
ranslated it as follows:
Poems, thousands and thousands, written all
over the walls:
All words of grievances and sorrow.
Should we one day be freed from this prison,
and prosper with success,
Treasure the memory: marks of all those years.
Times have changed considerably in the last fifty years. Still, th
e literature of the Chinese in America prior to the 1950s remain
s largely unknown even to many Chinese
Americans today. Books by recent Chinese American writers pr
omoted by American publishers have gained their deserved reco
gnition and ac-

Page viii
ceptance, but the literature of the early Chinese Americans is sti
ll buried in the past. It was not until very recently that the poem
s of the Chinese immigrants on Angel
Island became known and were translated into English, allowing
us to understand and appreciate in depth a chapter of our literar
y heritage.
I hope that the present work, a selection of Cantonese vernacula
r rhymes from San Francisco Chinatown, written in the early 19
10s, will be still another window into
early Chinese American literary life, and that it will provide us
with authentic knowledge of the experiences of Chinese in Ame
rica at the turn of this century.
For this volume, I am especially grateful to Mr. Him Mark Lai o
f the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco. M
ark Lai, as he is usually called, is the
dean of Chinese American history and has been most generous i
n sharing his vast knowledge and huge collection of Chinese A
merican materials. My casual inquiry to
him about early Chinatown literature resulted in his providing m
e, from his own library, with photocopies of the rare Jinshan ge
ji (Songs of Gold Mountain)
anthologies of 1911 and 1915. Among teachers and friends who
have read my manuscript, in part or in its entirety, and have off
ered me valuable criticism and

suggestions for revision, I am especially thankful to Professors
Wuchi Liu and Jeffery P. Chan, Frank Chin, Russell Leong, Rut
hanne McCunn, and Sam Solberg. Mr.
Tan Bi-yon also gave me additional insights for the revision of
my manuscript during our two meetings in San Francisco in Apr
il 1984. Lorraine has been working with
me on the Chinese American literature project untiringly all the
se years; her support has been unrelenting. Dr. Barbara Metcalf,
Ms. Phyllis Killen, and Ms. Susan
Stone,
Page ix
editors at the University of California Press, and Ms. Sally Sera
fim have given me tremendous assistance and expert advice in p
reparing this volume for publication. Of
course, I alone am responsible for all the imperfection in this bo
ok.

Page x
Translator's Note
All Cantonese expressions are transcribed in a modified Yale Ca
ntonese romanization system. A Mandarin equivalent in pinyin t
ranscription is given in parentheses.
E.g.: Gamsaan (Jinshan) for Gold Mountain.
There are two sets of footnotes to the rhymes. The notes to the
Chinese originals consist of a collation of misused homophonou
s words; wrong words are cited and
correct ones appended. Regional Cantonese expressions are ann
otated in standard Chinese. The notes to the translations provide
annotation to Chinese literary
expressions that are not self-explanatory in English.
Abbreviations: JSGJ I: Jinshan ge ji (1911)
JSGJ II: Jinshan ge erji (1915)
Page 3
An Introduction to Cantonese Vernacular Rhymes from San Fra
ncisco Chinatown

Early Chinatown:
A Historical Overview
Establishing the Oldest American Chinatown
The French sinologist M. de Guignes wrote in 1761 that the Chi
nese had first come to the American continent one thousand yea
rs before the European explorers,
when Hui Shen, a Buddhist monk, came to a land called Fusang,
which de Guignes identified as the west coast of North America
. Upon returning to China, Hui Shen
reported in detail on the livelihood of the Fusang natives. His ac
count appears in the sixth-century A.D. historical text Liang shu
.1 However, no other conclusive
1. French Sinologist M. de Guignes's study was based on the acc
ount in volume 54 of the Liang shu (History of the Liang dynast
y), a historical work written between 502 and 556.
Some later scholars rejected this study, or tried to identify “Fus
ang” as another place. A brief summary regarding this issue and
further references are given in Thomas Chin et al.,
A History of Chinese in California (San Francisco: Chinese Hist
orical Society of America, 1969), pp. 1–2.

documents are available on this so-called early discovery of Am
erica by the Chinese. Recent Chinese anthropological studies ha
ve, however, drawn comparisons
between the Chinese and the natives of America, showing some
similarities in language and culture between the two peoples no
w separated by the Pacific Ocean.2
The verifiable Chinese presence in America came much later. In
the mid-seventeenth century, Chinese seamen traveled on board
Spanish trading vessels via the
Philippine Islands, which were known in Cantonese as Leuisung
(Lüsong), after the island of Luzon. Some settled in Mexico, w
hich they called Siu Leuisung (Xiao
Lüsong) or Little Luzon, probably because Spanish was spoken i
n both countries and they thus appeared similar in culture. Thes
e Chinese settlers became a part of the
local community, making their living among the Mexicans.3 Me
rchants and traders from southeastern China,
2. Wei Juxian, Zhongguoren faxian Meizhou chu kao (A prelimi
nary investigation on the Chinese discovery of America) (Taibei
: Shishi chuban gongsi, 1975). Wei uses
archaeological evidence of similarities between Native America
n and Chinese culture to suggest that Native Americans are Chin
ese in origin. See also Wei's Zhongguoren faxian
Meizhou tiyao (A summary regarding the Chinese discovery of
America) (Rpt., Taibei: Shishi chuban gongsi, 1975) in which h

e claims that ancient China had a long history of
communication with natives in the American continent. Fusang i
s often identified as a hibiscus plant. In Chinese writings, its re
d blossom alludes to the sun, hence it becomes the
name for the eastern part of the world where the sun rises and, c
onsequently, for the island nation of Japan, which literally mean
s “sun's origin.” However, Wei in his studies
argues that fusang must be the redwoods of America. He also cit
es the mention of hummingbirds, native birds of America that n
ever appeared in any Chinese writings prior to that
entry in the Liang shu, as proof of his theory, since it was Hui S
hen who introduced these new items to China.
3. Chin et al., p. 6.
Page 5
long experienced in doing business with foreigners, were seen r
egularly in the ports of Mexico. In 1838 the earliest Chinese rea
ched Yerba Buena, the name for San
Francisco before California was incorporated into the United St
ates in 1850.4
In 1849, the news of the discovery of gold in California reached

China, and hundreds of Chinese began arriving in the early mon
ths of 1850. Thousands followed in
subsequent years, as mining, farming, and railroad construction
boomed. Then, as now, the Chinese called the United States Ga
msaan (Jinshan), or Gold Mountain, a
term deriving from the 1849 Gold Rush. It was also called Fakei
(Huaqi), or Flowery Flag, a name inspired by the fancy graphic
s of the American flag.
Instead of the cruel coolie system of slavery found in Southeast
Asia and South America, the Chinese workers usually came to t
he United States under the “credit fare”
system. A man would repay the loan that paid his passage by wo
rking under contract for a specified period. He was then free to
pursue his own living. Workers were
largely Cantonese, natives of Guangdong province in southeaste
rn China, an area that had prospered from foreign trade since th
e sixteenth century. Specifically, they
came from two regions around the Pearl River delta. The Saamy
up (Sanyi) area consisted of the “Three Counties”—
Naamhoi (Nanhai), Punyu (Panyu), and Seundak
(Shunde). The Seiyup (Siyi) area encompassed the “Four Counti
es” of Sunning (Xinning)/Toisaan (Taishan), Sunwui (Xinhui),
Hoiping (Kaiping), and Yanping
(Enping). Saamyup natives in
4. Chin et al., p. 10. In 1946, Americans renamed Yerba Buena
“San Francisco.”

Page 6
Page 7
Map 1.
The Pearl River Delta and the American
West Coast
Page 8
America often engaged in mercantile and other business trades;
Seiyup natives, mainly laborers, accounted for 70 percent of the
total Chinese population in the United

States.5
In San Francisco, the Chinese soon formed fraternal organizatio
ns based on their county of origin to assist those who came to ea
rn a living in America. In the early
1850s, most Chinese workers did not stay long in the port. For t
hem, as for their white Gold Rush counterparts, San Francisco w
as only a stopover on the way to the
vast interior. Merchants, traders, and providers of services and s
upplies would stay. In the mid-1850s, more Chinese began to set
tle in San Francisco, engaging in
service industries, which provided stable employment and inco
me. The so-called Chinatown of San Francisco was formed in th
ose early years, as a concentrated area
of Chinese commercial and other business operations began to t
ake shape. The owners and workers usually occupied living quar
ters located behind the storefronts.
However, Chinese were scattered throughout this frontier city, l
iving an integrated existence among San Franciscans of various
ethnic and cultural origins.
At first, the arrival in California of the “China boys” was welco
med. Aside from working in the mines, the Chinese provided the
major labor force for reclaiming
California land for farming. Some were skilled fishermen and sh
rimp harvesters. Later, tens of thousands worked, and many died
, building the transcontinental railroad,
even laying a record-breaking ten miles of track in a single day

on April 28, 1869. However, by the mid-1850s, conflicts had de
veloped in the mines, and
5. Chin et al., p. 4.
https://www.ebsco.com/ terms-of-use
Page 9
Chinese miners became the victims. When the transcontinental r
ailroads were completed in 1869, a massive labor surplus was cr
eated. Some Chinese workers left for
the farms, but many turned to San Francisco, now the major urb
an center in the West. However, the rail-road was also facilitati
ng the movement of workers from the
depressed East Coast cities into an already saturated West. Conf
licts arose, fueled by the belief in “manifest destiny” by the whi
te men who would claim the American
continent. This created a tremendous hardship for the Chinese o
n the West Coast, who became the objects of attack by and excl
usion from the greater American
society. The benign tolerance of times past turned into hysterica
l rejection. “The Chinese must go!” became an accepted slogan,
serving the self-interest of both the
white working class and the opportunistic politicians, as wealth
y capitalists exploited cheap Chinese labor for their own gain.6

Chinese were attacked everywhere as
white workingmen and labor unionists and their supporters tried
to drive the Chinese away.
California had the largest concentration of Chinese; many lived
in San Francisco. Although discriminatory practices were severe
in the city, there was no safer or
economically more feasible place for them to go. The Chinese r
ealized that the presence of so many of their countrymen would
enable them to render mutual as-
6. For an excellent analysis of the conflict in the triangular relat
ionship among the white working class and white unionists, the
capitalists, and the Chinese workers, see Alexander
Saxton, The Indispensable Enemy: Labor and the Anti-Chinese
Movement in California (Berkeley: University of California Pre
ss, 1971). Saxton views labor conflicts between the
Chinese and white workers from a class perspective, in which th
e capitalists manipulate the two groups to advance their self-int
erest and their profits.
Page 10

Page 11
Map 2.
San Francisco Bay Area, with Street Map of Chinatown
Page 12
sistance and comfort in a time of crisis. As it turned out, while t
he Chinese were often stoned or physically abused in non-Chine
se neighborhoods, once inside their
own enclave they were relatively safe. As a result, a large Chine
se community, sometimes called the “Canton of the West,” exist
ed in San Francisco by the early
1870s. It was located two blocks west of Yerba Buena Cove, the
city harbor (today the landfilled area occupied by the financial
district and the Embarcadero). The
area surrounding Portsmouth Plaza (now Portsmouth Square) an
d Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue, but in Chinese still called
by its former name) was San

Francisco's downtown, but later, when Chinese businesses and r
esidents moved in as white ones moved out, it became part of C
hinatown. Sacramento Street was
called Tongyan gaai (Tangren jie), the Street of the Chinese. By
the time the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricting Chinese
immigration was passed, the Chinese
…
COMMENTARY Open Access
What a paediatrician should know about
congenital clubfoot
Daniela Dibello1, Valentina Di Carlo1, Giulia Colin2, Egidio
Barbi1,2 and Anna M. C. Galimberti2*
Abstract
Clubfoot is the most frequent congenital malformation of the
foot, affecting more than 1–2 subjects per 1.000
newborns. Without appropriate treatment, a child with
congenital clubfoot will never be able to walk
physiologically with a dramatic impact on the quality of life. In
the last decades, different corrective solutions have
been proposed, and there is rising scientific evidence that the
Ponseti non-invasive method is safe and effective in
the treatment of the clubfoot. So, what should a general
paediatrician know about this condition and what should
he concretely do in the suspect of a congenital clubfoot?
Keywords: Clubfoot, Talipes, Equinovarus, Management,
Pediatric

Background
The talipes equinovarus congenital foot, also known
as congenital clubfoot, is the most common congeni-
tal malformation of the foot. One or two, per 1000
newborns are affected [1], with a male to female ra-
tio of 1 to 2. This condition is particularly frequent
in Developing Countries (80% of overall cases). In
50% of cases, it affects both feet [2]. Without ad-
equate treatment children with congenital clubfoot
will not walk physiologically and will not be able to
live a normal life. Paediatricians have a critical role
in the early detection of this condition, starting from
the first evaluations of the newborn. The prompt re-
ferral to the specialist is crucial for these children to
obtain a plantigrade and functional foot. This article
aims to provide the general paediatrician with essen-
tial knowledges for proper clubfoot management.
The scientific literature supports the efficacy of Pon-
seti method for this pathology, and we tried to sim-
plify and explain the therapeutic process and the
general management.
What is clubfoot?
Congenital clubfoot is a malformation characterized by a
torsion of the longitudinal axis of the foot, secondary to
a malalignment of the calcaneo-talar-navicular complex.
The foot’s sole is rotated medially and this leads the
child to walk on the foot sides (Fig. 1). We can detect
four different anomalies; CAVE is a mnemonic tip to re-
member them all (Fig. 2):
1. Midfoot cavus deformity (the sole of the foot
“looks” upwards).
2. Metatarsus adductus (the fingers point inside with
concavity of the medial foot margin).

3. Hindfoot varus deformity (medial deviation of the
longitudinal axis of the calcaneus).
4. Hindfoot equinus deformity (extreme plantar
flexion).
There are two main types of congenital clubfoot: idio-
pathic (80% of cases) and secondary clubfoot (20% of
cases). The idiopathic congenital clubfoot is a multifac-
torial condition that includes environmental, vascular,
positional, and genetic factors. Clubfoot has a tendency
to segregate in families: the risk of developing congenital
clubfoot is 25% when a first-degree relative is affected.
© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License,
which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and
reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source,
provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if
changes were made. The images or other third party material in
this article are included in the article's Creative Commons
licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the
material. If material is not included in the article's Creative
Commons
licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain
permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy
of this licence, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to
the
data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a

credit line to the data.
* Correspondence: [email protected]
2University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, Trieste, Italy
Full list of author information is available at the end of the
article
Dibello et al. Italian Journal of Pediatrics (2020) 46:78
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-020-00842-3
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1186/s13052-020-
00842-3&domain=pdf
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0063-5754
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
mailto:[email protected]
Several studies and observations suggest the exist-
ence of different genes and inheritance patterns in-
volved [3]. On the other hand, up to 20% of cases of
congenital clubfoot is associated to other anomalies
(e.g., myelomeningocele) and could be secondary to
a specific genetic condition such as Moebius syn-
drome, neurofibromatosis and multiple congenital
arthrogryposes [4]. The congenital clubfoot could
also show more complex anatomic features that typ-
ically present a shorter and more rigid foot, in which
there is a marked curvature of the midfoot (metatar-
sal equinism) with deep skin folds. In these cases we
talk about an “atypical clubfoot” [5]. Clinical features
of clubfoot may already emerge in prenatal diagnos-
tics, but its ultrasonographic diagnosis appears more
likely between the 18th and the 24th week of preg-
nancy [6].

How to perform a focused examination?
The foot needs to be evaluated in their complexity:
general morphology, presence of skin folds, muscu-
lar and tendon malleability and flexibility of the
Fig. 1 Frontal and posterior view of congenital idiopathic
clubfoot
Fig. 2 Severe clubfoot. legend: severe clubfoot (Pirani 6,
Manes-Costa 3)
Page 2 of 6
deformation. Flexibility is the most relevant element
that influences the prognosis: the more malleable
and easy to move the foot, the better the prognosis.
There are several classification systems of the club-
foot, for example Manes-Costa’s classification, Pira-
ni’s score (Fig. 3) or Dimeglio classification. These
scores are valid prognostic tools and can be used in
the follow-up process. A high score at presentation
may indicate that a longer and more complex treat-
ment will be required. Whenever a congenital club-
foot is detected, a complete examination is
mandatory to rule out other neuro-musculoskeletal
problems, such as signs of occult spinal dysraphism,
developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) or con-
genital torticollis.
It is essential to differentiate clubfoot from two
other disorders: postural equino-varus foot and
metatarsus adductus. The postural equino-varus is a
functional malposition of the foot caused by the de-

formed position that the fetus used to hold in the
maternal womb. In this case, there may be some
degrees of forefoot adduction, but it will be flexible
at the manipulation, and there will be no Achilles
tendon contracture. Generally, the postural equino-
varus resolves spontaneously; nevertheless, it is good
practice to monitor the progression (in premature
newborn, a clubfoot can sometimes hide behind a
postural equino-varus) [7]. The adductus metatarsus
is another common deformity characterized by an
adducted forefoot with a curvature of the lateral
edge of the foot, but without the other features of
clubfoot. Also, this disorder is secondary to the
intrauterine postural modeling of the feet and gener-
ally resolves spontaneously (casting may be necessary
if the deformity is rigid).
Which therapy?
Over the decades the surgical treatment of congeni-
tal clubfoot has mostly been abandoned, as it was
associated with complications, with the final result
of a foot that would hardly reached full functional-
ity, due to retractions and scars, secondary to the
Fig. 3 Pirani clubfoot- score. legend: this is a 6-item scale, in
which every point has a 0 to 1 score (0 if normal, 0.5 if
moderate-mild deformity is
present, 1 with a severe malformation); the higher the score is,
the worst is the deformity
Page 3 of 6

surgery itself. Although some complex and atypical
clubfeet still need surgical treatments at first [7],
the available evidence has definitively confirmed the
effectiveness of the Ponseti non-invasive method [1,
8, 9]. It consists of gentle manipulations of the foot
followed by the application of plaster casts, which
are kept in place for 5-7 days, during which muscles
and ligaments adapt to the new position. At the end
of the 5-7 days period, the cast is removed, the foot
(which would become softer and more prone to be
moulded) is revaluated and progressively manipu-
lated to maintain, through the application of a new
cast, a new position [2, 8]. The procedure is re-
peated until normal foot alignment is achieved (on
average, about five to six plaster casts are required).
Percutaneous Achille’s tenotomy (Fig. 4) could be
required if equinus deformity persists at the end of
the casting phase. The procedure takes about 5 min
and consists of a millimetric posterior skin incision
through which the tendon section is achieved. After
the tenotomy, plaster is applied to allow the tendon
to heal in elongation for about 20 days. In order to
maintain the correct position of the foot,it is neces-
sary to wear, an orthopedic brace until 5 years of
age. The brace must be worn for 23 h a day for the
first 3 months. Over time, the child may gradually
decrease the use of the brace during the day:: after
the first months, it is necessary to wear the cast for
at least 18–19 h with a gradual reduction in the use
of 1 h per month up to a maximum of 12 h without
the brace. When the patient begins to walk inde-
pendently, the brace is usually only held overnight
until the age of five.. Compliance with the splinting
programme is crucial to prevent recurrences [10],
and the general paediatrician has a critical role in

supporting the family during the brace-phase.
To conclude, the treatment of an “atypical clubfoot” is
more challenging and difficult and often requires a
higher number of plaster casts.
What management should a paediatrician provide?
Radiological diagnostic evaluations, such as foot X-
rays or ultrasounds, are usually not necessary in
addition to the clinical assessment. In the case of
very complex clubfoot, it could be reasonable to
evaluate the possibility of an underlying process or
other associated malformation. A co-existent hip
dysplasia, myogenic torticollis, or other orthopedic
conditions should always be ruled out. The paedia-
trician also has to evaluate the child to exclude a
systemic condition (such as a neuromuscular disease
or a syndromic illness – see Table 1). Paediatricians
are also in charge of preparing the family for the
therapeutic process. Reassurance and providing a
direct link to an experienced centre are the first
steps. Operational timeliness is essential in terms of
outcomes so the newborn needs to be referred to
the specialist as soon as possible, e.g., in the very
first days of life. The relapses of the clubfoot are
not uncommon (about 5–10%), either with conser-
vative and surgical methods. Consequently, paedia-
tricians should play a relevant role in supporting
the family and monitoring compliance with the con-
stant use of the orthopedic brace, which represents
the main factor in preventing the recurrence of
malformation.
Four golden rules for an adequate approach
1. The earlier, the better: if you detect a clubfoot

contact a local orthopedic surgeon who can take
care of the referral to a clubfoot center, preferably
within 48 h but not more than 1 week after the
delivery [7];
2. Motivate the parents: to improve the compliance
with the use of the brace to minimize the
recurrences [7];
3. In case of a severe clubfoot: inform the parents of
the increased risk recurrences;
4. Clubfoot is diagnosed through clinical evaluation,
and usually, a radiological evaluation is not
necessary. The orthopedic surgeon can choose to
perform a radiological evaluation in selected
cases (e.g., in front of a weak response to
treatment or severe relapses) [7].
Fig. 4 Percutaneous tenotomy of the Achille’s tendon
Page 4 of 6
Conclusion
Clubfoot is a highly invalidating condition all over the
world; the absence of an adequate treatment will lead
to dramatic consequences on the quality of life of the
patients, with a high social burden. The rapid recog-
nition of deformity and immediate reference to the
orthopedic specialist are the key elements for effective
treatments.
Acknowledgements

The authors thank Martina Bradaschia for the English revision
of the
manuscript.
Authors’ contributions
All authors contributed and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
None.
Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Obtained.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Author details
1Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo,
Via dell’Istria
65/1, Trieste, Italy. 2University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1,
Trieste, Italy.
Received: 27 March 2020 Accepted: 25 May 2020
References
1. Balasankar G, Luximon A. Ponseti method in the
management of clubfoot
under 2 years of age: A systematic review. PLoS One.
2017;12(6):e0178299.

2. Balasankar G, Luximon A. Current conservative management
and
classification of club foot: A review. J Pediatr Rehabil Med.
2016;9(4):257–64.
3. Basit S, Khoshhal KI. Genetics of clubfoot; recent progress
and future
perspectives. Eur J Med Genet. 2017;61(2):107–13.
4. Pavone V, et al. The etiology of idiopathic congenital talipes
equinovarus: a
systematic review. J Ortho Surg Res. 2018;13(1):206.
Table 1 from B. Sadler, C. A. Gurnett, and M. B. Dobbs “The
genetics of isolated and syndromic clubfoot”, Journal of
Children
Orthopaedics Jun 2019
Condition/syndrome name Known genes
Autosomal Dominant Larsen Syndrome, Recessive
spondylocarpotarsal syndrome FLNB
Barth Syndrome TAZ
Bruck Syndrome PLOD2, FKBP10
Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome MYMK
Catel-Manzke Syndrome TGDS
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 4D NDRG1
Diastrophic dysplasia SLC26A2

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Musculocontractural type 1 CHST14
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Musculocontractural type 2 DSE
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, vascular type COL3A1
Epileptic Encephalopathy AARS
Joubert Syndrome ATXN10, TCTN2
Loeys-Dietz Syndrome TGFBR1, TGFBR2, SMAD3, TGFB2,
TGFB3
Marfan Syndrome FBN1, TGFBR, TGFBR1, TGFBR2, SMAD3,
TGFB2, SKI
Moebius Syndrome PLXND1, REV3L
Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia COL9A1, COL9A2, COL9A3,
COMP, MATN3, SLC26A2
Multiple Synostosis Syndrome GDF5
Peroxisome biogenesis disorder 7A PEX26
Recessive axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease LMNA, GDAP1
Recessive Larsen Syndrome, Humero-Spinal Dysostosis,
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia CHST3
Richieri-Costa – Pereira Syndrome EIF4A3
Santos Syndrome WNT7A
Saul-Wilson Syndrome COG4

Schpritzen-Goldberg Syndrome SKI
TARP Syndrome RBM20
Van Maldergem Syndrome 2 DCHS1, FAT4
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5. Van HJP B. Challenging clubfeet: the arthrogrypotic clubfoot
and the
complex clubfoot. J Child Orthop. 2019;13(3):271–81.
6. Faldini C, et al. Prenatal Diagnosis of Clubfoot: A Review of
Current
Available Methodology. Folia Med. 2017;59(3):247–53.
7. Besselaar AT, Sakkers R. JB et al. guideline on the diagnosis
and treatment
of primary idiopathic clubfoot. Acta Orthopaedica.
2017;88(3):305–9.
8. Chu A. Treatment of Idiopathic Clubfoot in the Ponseti Era
and Beyond.
Foot Ankle Clin. 2015;20(4):555–62.
9. Morcuende JA, Dolan LA, Dietz FR, Ponseti IV. Radical
reduction in the rate
of extensive corrective surgery for clubfoot using the Ponseti
method.
Pediatrics. 2004;113(2):37680.
10. Staheli L, Ponseti I, Morcuende JA, et al. Clubfoot: Ponseti
management. 3th

edition, Global HELP Ed, 2009.
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in
published maps and institutional affiliations.
Page 6 of 6
AbstractBackgroundWhat is clubfoot?How to perform a focused
examination?Which therapy?What management should a
paediatrician provide?Four golden rules for an adequate
approachConclusionAcknowledgementsAuthors’
contributionsFundingAvailability of data and materialsEthics
approval and consent to participateConsent for
publicationCompeting interestsAuthor
detailsReferencesPublisher’s Note
4 AAS 322 - #4 Feb 17 - M K Hom
On Reading Chinese American Poetry
I.
“Threads” (author identity omitted for discussion purpose)
There is no way to show it
No way to even break it or
Burn it or throw it away.
It is with me, and yet
There is nothing I can say
and nothing I can do that
Will make it work.

It is with me.
A fish swimming in silence
A fruit ripening on a tree
A bulging in the back of my mind
Like a fat insect caught on threads.
BASIC APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE A
POEM
Intrinsic approach: analysis of internal evidence in the aesthetic
manipulations of
language (word use) and images in the narrative and the use of
symbol and metaphor
to bring forth to solidify an abstract idea(s) that was hidden
beneath the surface,
disguised by the use of words and images.
Qualitative analysis: analysis of the images as presented in
words as symbols and
metaphors to convey the idea
Quantitative analysis: analysis of the words, such as frequency
of use, to convey the
message
Extrinsic approach: Application and analysis of external
information, such as
biographical profile of the author, the time period,
environmental setting and socio-
political conditions when the piece of writing was made, etc., so
as to add enable a
potential interpretation and further understanding on that piece
of writing beyond the
intrinsic constraint of language use.
Analysis of “Threads” – Intrinsic approach:

Qualitative analysis: identify the uses of certain words and their
meaning:
First stanza—words used to identify an abstract emotional
constraint:
“no way to show, … break … burn … say … nothing I can do to
make it work.” – what are
the images imbedded in these verbs?
Second stanza – words used to represent a concrete images:
“fish swimming in silence”, “fruits ripening on a tree” Do the
images make any sense?
(what else can a fish do besides swimming? Can fish make
noise while
swimming ? This image conveys the notion that it is a “natural”
phenomenon.)
“fruit ripening on a tree” as a concrete only reinforces the idea
of naturalness.
“fat insect caught on threads” – a concrete images to describe
an emotional constraint--
the loss of self and control beyond one’s control over something
natural in one’s life.
Quantitative analysis: identify the frequency of use of certain
words.
Since “Threads” is a short poem with only two stanzas, the
recurrent use of a word is an
indicator of a feature thematic concern.
Multiple use of words in this poem to convey a matter of grave
concern in one life:

“it”: 6
“nothing”: 2
“no way”: 2
“It is with me”: 2
By combining both the qualitative and quantitative data, a
reader can confidently
provide a critical assessment that the voice in this poem is
venting an emotional and
desperate frustration in an integral of one’s life--something
innate and natural, yet
unpleasant and impossible to get away.
Beyond this intrinsic analysis, one can also apply an extrinsic
approach to further
understand the significance of the writing. There are many
possibilities in this area. For
example:
1. What if you as the critique have the information that this
poem is written in the
late 1960s? At San Francisco State? And the person participated
in the Third
World Student Strike on campus?
2. What if you have the information that the poet was madly in
love but lacked
recourse to express this romantic emotion to the loved one?
3. What if you have the information that the poet was Asian? A
Chinese American
or a specific ethnic Asian as the Civil Right Movement becomes
institutionalized
under the Civil Rights Acts?
4. What if you have the information that the poet was a closet

gay/lesbian person?
By combining both the intrinsic and extrinsic elements, you may
come up with a very
meaningful convincing analysis of a rather short poem such as
this one, “Threads”.
II.
THE GOLD MOUNTAIN RHYMES 金山歌ANTHOLOGIES
(1911-1917)
These writings were products of Chinese immigrants in San
Francisco Chinatown. Its
presence dispelled the misperception and myth of early Chinese
immigrant in America
as a population of illiterate laborers. Yes, they were poor and
deficient with their
English ability and many with little if any formal education, but
they were expressive
and prolific in their native language, and conversant in the
folkloric tradition. These
rhymes demonstrate that Cantonese folklore tradition; they
came to America brought
along their folklore narratives to America. In 1911, 1915 and
1917 three anthologies of
Cantonese folk rhymes were published in San Francisco
Chinatown, totaling about
2,000 rhymes written by the Chinese immigrants in North
America. Because of
language barrier, early Chinese American Studies specialists
were not familiar with this

Chinese immigrant creative endeavor in America and, like the
Angel Island poems,
these three anthologies were overlooked.
In the late 1970s, Marlon Hom found these anthologies in his
research project on trans-
Pacific Chinese American family maintenance during the
exclusion period. From these
anthologies, he selected 220 rhymes and translated them into
English; and the bilingual
anthology Songs of Gold Mountain was published by the
University of California Press in
1987. A paperback edition followed, for textbook use.
The rhymes collected in the three anthologies of Gold Mountain
Rhymes have a formal
structure, a folksong format popular in the Szeyup 四邑(“four
counties”) regions of the
Pearl River Delta, particularly in the Taishan 台山and Kaiping
開平counties. Nearly 99%
of the early Chinese immigrant population in America came
from the Pearl River Delta
area, with those of the Szeyup origins constituted to about 75%
of the Chinese
population in America.
This particular rhyme format is still extant today; local wr iters
still use it for their
creative writings in addition to its oral narrative tradition. The
rhyme has a rigid format,
composed of 46 syllables/words in eight lines of irregular
length, each line ends with a
rhyme scheme based on the Cantonese phonetics. Commonly
known as the “46-syllabic

song 四十六字歌”, it was written and sang at mostly weddings to
celebrate the
newlyweds before the 1950s. Hence it was also known as the
“Rhymes from next room
夾房歌”, that is, friends and relatives would improvise and sing
the rhymes in the next
room to tease the newlywed couple in their wedding night.
However, this “wedding-teasing rhymes” have evolved to an
entirely new poetic genre
now commonly called the “Gold Mountain Songs 金山歌” written
in North America by
Cantonese Chinese immigrants in the early 1900s. There were
also a variety of thematic
contents focusing mainly of the Chinese immigrants
experiences, both personal and
collective, upon arrival in America.
Back in the Pearl River Delta in southern China, this 46-syllabic
Cantonese folk rhyme
also changed after the 1949 communist revolution. The cultural
apparatus of the new
local government have adopted it to create folk rhymes to praise
and glorify the new
Chinese government and the communist revolution.
And in 2007, it was again used by the local government to
celebrate and promote
Kaiping county in the Szeyup emigrant region being designated
as United Nation
World Cultural Heritage site for the unique architectural
features established by
returnees from their overseas sojourn, especially from the

Americas (from Canada to
Central America).
In 2018, local government again used Hom’s book, a bilingual
translation of the folk
rhymes published in America in 1911-17, as reference and
selected some rhyme from
the book to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Kaiping’s
UN World Heritage
designation, and a few rhymes/songs from Hom’s Songs of Gold
Mountain anthology
was put into local folksong musical scores, and performed in the
commemorative event,
along with a CD available for sale. In a curious sense, it is
interesting that this 46-
syllable folksong was brought over to America by the early
Chinese immigrants and it
became a creative literary endeavor in the early Chinese
American community, with a
publication of three anthologies in the 1910s in San Francisco.
It develops into a genre
commonly known as the “Gold Mountain Rhymes”金山歌 with
new narrative contents.
And finally, it returned to Szeyup, its origin in the Pearl River
Delta, with recognition as
a Chinese American literary creation.
A selection of rhymes on immigration during the period of
Chinese Exclusion (1882-
1943) is included in the Class reader as the assigned reading.

A CD of Songs of GM, by Kaiping office of Culture
1. If you are interested in a critique of the Gold Mountain
Rhymes as collected in
Hom’s book, see: Sau Ling Wong’s essay collected in the book
Entry Denied
edited by Sucheng Chan.
2. If you have any questions regarding the Class Reader
reading, please email me for
clarification and explanation. Again, please do not send class -
related email in the evening
or at night or during the weekend. Teachers are not paid to work
24-7 on demand.
Respect the teacher’s personal time and space.

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