The Apricot Outlook tells the heartfelt story of a Chinese woman growing up in Hawaii and moving to San Francisco and Hayward after her marriage. It is a family story in the spirit of the popular Joy Luck Club. It celebrates the close bonds in a Chinese family and the way family members and close friends help others in a time of crisis and need.
The story begins when Katherine Chun is first growing up in Honolulu, where her parents run a local laundry. Unfortunately, a fire erupts in the rear of the laundry and eventually contributes to the sale of the business. Meanwhile, as a teenager and young adult, Katherine finds work in a number of different occupations - from working in a beauty salon to working in a candy factory. In her 20s, she marries a pipefitter and welder, Clifford Wong, whose job takes him to the shipyards in San Francisco and then to Hayward.
Over time, the marriage has its ups-and-downs and is, threatened, when Katherine believes her husband is having an affair with a good friend. Yet, the marriage survives, and the family grows as Katherine has six children and even more, grandchildren, while maintaining strong ties with a growing number of cousins, uncles, and aunts, reflecting the importance of family for Chinese-Americans. The story also features the many activities Katherine enjoys, from traveling to going on jaunts to Las Vegas.
The script is, based on the real-life experiences of my mother Katherine Wong, based on a book I created for her on her 77th birthday. As such, it features a true picture of what life is like for an ordinary middle-income Chinese family in modern America. When my mother died, I pledged I would publish a book about her life, and I have now created this script in her memory.
