r children. The poem expresses the speakerÆs warm affection and remembrance for his wet-nurse, a poor woman whose life of virtual slavery nurtured him; ôI am the son of a landlord, / But I have been brought up on DayanheÆs milk: / The son of Dayanheö (Qing 227). In this manner, we see that Dayanhe represents the poor of China. The wealthy, like the speakerÆs parents, are able to take advantage of the labor of the poor to grow strong and powerful. This is QingÆs commentary that China, like his parents, has grown rich and powerful off of the backs of the poor.
At one point in the poem, we see that the speaker contrasts the austere poverty of DayanheÆs house with the luxury of his own. DayanheÆs house is simple. The food must be tasted to make sure it is suitable to eat. DayanheÆs childrenÆs clothes are in disrepair. Dayanhe must often kill lice on her childrenÆs clothes and attend to gathering eggs and fixing a coal fire. Even so, at the end of it all,
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