Chinese Cinderella (A Puffin Book)

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The cause for the disparity between the living conditions of the two sets of Yen children is again brought into question by these chapters. The embarrassment that the three eldest brothers suffer at the hands of their classmates is very public, as is their exposure to the various guests at the wedding. Since Father's prioritization of public image has been of the driving factors behind the developments thus far in the novel, his tolerance for the public shaming of his children seems oddly out of character. How can a man who cares so much of what others think of him allow his children to wear antiquated clothing? The facade of a happy and modern family that Father has worked so hard to create would seem irreparable by the events of the wedding. The room was completely still. The only sound I heard was that of Ye Ye chomping on his apple. Surely he was going to say something to put Niang in her place!" Chinese Cinderella, p.39 Many would have heard the childhood tale of the Pied Piper who freed a town of rats by leading them away with his music and, when he wasn’t paid, he returned and led away the town’s children, who... The following chapter relates the story Chun-mei’s birthday party. Being one of her closest friends at school, Chun-mei invites Adeline over to celebrate her birthday. Adeline insists that this is impossible, trying to find excuses due to her knowledge that Niang would never allow her to attend a party. However, an opportunity arises in a day off from school, special to her academy only. Since her parents don’t know about her school schedule, Adeline pretends to go to school but instead attends the party. Mah, Adeline Yen (1998). Falling leaves: the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter. New York: Wiley. p.91. ISBN 978-0-585-36179-6. OCLC 47011622.

When Ye Xian appeared wearing both her shoes with the fish motif and her beautiful sea-green-and-blue gown, the King realized that it was her that he was looking for. He asked her to come with him to his kingdom and to be his wife and queen, and she happily accepted. When, lo! as they reached the mountain-side, A wondrous portal opened wide, As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed; And the Piper advanced and the children followed, And when all were in to the very...When the Japanese take over mainland China, her father disappears from their hometown of Tianjin for an extended period of time. Soon after, Niang and her older boy follow. The next couple of months are considered wonderful, since the children are under the care of their grandparents, Nai Nai and Ye Ye. However, Nai Nai's death leads to the return of her father and their move from Tianjin to Shanghai. There, her father has bought a large mansion where the entire family is supposed to live. Yen Mah had an older sister called Lydia (Jun-pei) and three older brothers, Gregory (Zi-jie), Edgar (Zi-lin), and James (Zi-jun). [1] She has stated in Falling Leaves that she did not use the real names of her siblings and their spouses to protect their identities but she did, however, use the real names of her father, stepmother, aunt and husband, while referring to her paternal grandparents only by the Chinese terms 'Ye Ye' and 'Nai Nai'. [2] The next morning, the king goes into Ye Xian's house and asks her to come with him into his kingdom. Ye Xian then wears both her shoes, and appears in her beautiful sea-green gown. The stepmother and Jun-Li, however, insist that Ye Xian could not have clothes of that kind, for she is only their slave. The stepmother says that the finery is Jun-Li's, and that Ye Xian stole them. The king dismisses her lies, and invites Ye Xian to marry him and live in his palace. She accepts, but her cruel step-family is left with the worst possible fate: each other. The stepmother forces Jun-Li, who has lost all hope of marrying rich, into the same state of servitude that Ye Xian suffered for so many years. When Jun-Li promptly and bitterly rebels against her lot, it starts a violent quarrel, the result of which is a cave-in that buries both women and destroys their home. Meanwhile, the king takes Ye Xian's hand in marriage and makes her his queen. The family was wealthy but never spent money on Adeline if they could help it. She suffered emotional abuse and neglect and occasional physical abuse. School was her escape; she could be normal there with normal people. This quote by Ye Ye reflects a core principle of Yen Mah’s novels, the beauty of the Chinese language. This is followed by a monologue on how the pictographic aspect of Chinese characters can help tell a story in ways that the Western alphabet cannot, reflecting the message of the author’s foundation which aims to teach youth of Chinese heritage their language. This also reinforces the theme that people should be seen as much more than what society views them as, a message that is clearly lost on the rest of Adeline’s family. Her father understands the importance of appearances and the value of daughters in society, but does not truly grasp the potential that his daughter exhibits until it is shoved in his face, well after all the damage is done.

Shirley See Yan Ma (4 December 2009). Footbinding: A Jungian Engagement with Chinese Culture and Psychology. Taylor & Francis Ltd. pp.75–78. ISBN 9781135190071. Contrary to all logic, I had the uncanny sensation that Shakespeare had actually had my Ye Ye in mind when he wrote his immortal play four hundred years earlier.” Chinese Cinderella, p.168 Amy Lai (2007). "Two Translations of the Chinese Cinderella Story". In: Perspectives 15:1, pp. 49-56. DOI: 10.2167/pst004.0 Adeline's loneliness is exemplified in this quote from her time at St. Joseph's in Tianjin, far away from any family or friends. There is nothing like isolation, especially in cases this extreme. With no one looking for her and no one writing her letter, not even her Aunt Baba, Adeline feels as alone in the world as one can be. The will to keep going even after that shows the perseverance that this book promotes. Ye Ye is Adeline's grandfather on her father's side and the head of the household at the beginning of the novel. A devout Buddhist, Ye Ye maintains a moral compass unseen in the rest of the family. Working at the same company as his son, Ye Ye has a tight bond with him. Ye Ye is traditionally seen as the patriarch of the family, but his role is undermined by Niang's introduction to the family. While Ye Ye remains an influence within the household, it's primarily ceremonial, if that.

The Beginning of Ye Xian's Story

I don’t like, read autobiographies/biographies and the only reason I read this is that I didn’t realise it was one until I actually started the book. Because who actually reads the synopsis am I right? (just as a note, I normally do read synopses of books, this is just quarantine me continuing to be, I suppose, mega dumb). I suppose the reason as to why I have like read maybe one autobiography about 4 years ago, is that I generally read as a way of escapism because the real world is pretty damn miserable, which naturally means I need to read about world’s where things are even worse. Either way though, I didn’t mind this book and despite it being pretty short and almost sort of choppy, with the prose being pretty basic, I had a decent time. Mah, Adeline Yen (2015). Chinese Cinderella. London: Puffin Books. p.xv. ISBN 978-0-14-135941-0. OCLC 914452896.