There once was a swan that was bought by a young woman in Shanghai. This bird, the market vendor claimed, was once a duck that stretched its neck so far until it became a beautiful swan, exceeding its own hopes for itself. Together, the woman and the swan sailed to America, stretching their necks towards the future ahead. The woman dreamed of raising a American-born daughter who would resemble her in every way, but unlike her mother she would be judged according to her own worth, not by that of her husband or by her position. Like the swan, her daughter would exceed all hopes, so the mother planed to give her daughter the swan as a gift. However, when the woman arrived in America, the swan was snatched away from her and all she was left with
