Qing dynasty

The Qing dynasty appears as a deliberately exaggerated historical benchmark for traditional family expectations. Rick compares his family’s customs to the dynasty when explaining why his relatives expect him, the only boy carrying the Woo surname among twenty-two first cousins, to continue the family line; Ever echoes the comparison when his relatives welcome her as his girlfriend. The repeated reference turns history into a measure of the pressure and assumptions that shape their present relationships.

Rick’s Comparison

Rick invokes the Qing dynasty while explaining the conflict between his family and Jenna. He says his mother fasted for three days in an effort to make him end that relationship, then describes the family’s expectations: among twenty-two first cousins, he is the only boy with the Woo surname, and they depend on him to pass the family name along. His clipped conclusion, that this expectation does not apply to Jenna, makes clear that his family’s approval is conditional even though they expect him to date and eventually carry on the name.

Ever’s Echo

The comparison returns when Ever visits Rick’s relatives with him. Aunty Claire greets Ever warmly, and Rick introduces her as his girlfriend; the welcome is so immediate that Ever is unsettled by how readily his family embraces her as the one for Rick. She internally describes them as being as traditional as the Qing dynasty. The phrase thus links an inherited ideal of family continuity to the present-day ease with which relatives assign Ever a role in Rick’s future.

Family, Care, and Inherited Roles

Elsewhere, the novel sets this kinship language beside chosen forms of care. Sophie calls roommates family, and Rick asks Ever to watch out for Sophie, describing the same protective impulse he would have toward his little sister. These relationships broaden family beyond blood ties, while Rick’s account of the Woo surname shows how biological kinship can impose duties across generations. His comparison to the Qing dynasty gives that tension historical scale: affection and belonging coexist with expectations that individuals carry a family’s name and future.