Chinese Cinderella #4

The book I am reading is Chinese Cinderella, written by Adeline Yen Mah (馬嚴君玲). This book contains 205 pages and I finished reading it this week. 

To anyone reading this blog post:

I am very sorry if I made mistakes. I didn't have time to check over my blog post.

These are the places Adeline got educated at and I will write the obstacles she has faced:

BEGINNING

• St Joseph's (Tianjin, China)

-She went to St. Joseph's Primary School in kindergarten. 

RISING ACTION

• Shen Xin (Shanghai,China)

-Moved to Shanghai after her grandmother died and went to Shen Xin Primary School.

-In school, Adeline got elected as class president. 

-Her friends didn't know that Adeline is forbidden to go to visit them because of her stepmother, Niang.

-When Adeline got elected as president, her friends followed her home (without Adeline knowing) and surprised Adeline by bringing gifts and congratulating her.

-Niang got so ANGRY and thought that Adeline was the one who invited her friends over. Niang slaps her and made her tell her friends to go home. 

-Adeline's father made her open the presents and throw them away. 

• St. Joseph's (Tianjin, China) 

-Her parents sent her to Tianjin and went to St Joseph's again but to a boarding school because they thought that her Aunt Baba was a bad influence on her. 

-Adeline never got to say goodbye to her friends back in Shanghai. 

CLIMAX

• Sacred Heart Canossian College (Hong Kong, China) 

-Adeline moved to Hong Kong at the age of 11 with Niang's sister, Reine Schilling. Niang's sister was DIFFERENT than Niang. She was very kind to Adeline.

-Adeline's rest of the family (her dad, Niang, younger step sister, younger step brother, her grandfather, her third older brother) also moved to Hong Kong because Adeline's dad got a new house there.  

-Her sister was in Taiwan with her husband and her two older brothers were in college in London. 

-Since Adeline had nothing much to do in the boarding school, she joined a playwriting competition that she came across in a magazine. She named her play "Gone with the Locusts". It was dedicated to her grandfather. 

-Later her grandfather dies.

-At the end of term in her school, she went home and her father called her and showed her a newspaper and there was her name in one corner. She won first prize in the playwriting competition. 

END

• London Hospital Medical School (London, UK)

-Adeline's father sends her and her third older brother to London, and she went to medical school there because he was so proud of her.

"'It was announced today that 14-year-old Honk Kong schoolgirl ADELINE JUN-LING YEN of Sacred Heart Canossian School, Caine Road, Hong Kong, has won first prize in the International Play-writing competition held in London, England, for the 1951-1952 school year. It is the first time that any local Chinese student from Hong Kong has won such a prestigious event. Besides a medal, the prize comes with a cash reward of FIFTY ENGLISH POUNDS. Our sincere congratulations, ADELINE, for bringing honor to Hong Kong. We are proud of you.'" (Mah 191)

-Adeline receives a letter from her Aunt Baba (she did not follow the rest of the family to Hong Kong but stayed in Shanghai).
-Aunt Baba tells her about her life and a story about a Chinese folklore; about a little girl named Ye Xian and how Ye Xian's story was very similar to Adeline's because both of their mothers died and have a stepmother, not a nice one, but a mean, angry one. They both have their own talents and were very good at something.
-Aunt Baba says that both of their stories are very similar to a story called "Cinderella".
-Aunt Baba ends the letter with:

"MY CHINESE CINDERELLA" (Mah 197)

My Opinions:

I love this book very much. It clearly explains Adeline's pain and how she is unwanted. This book has taught me that you should never give up and work hard. I don't know why but this story  reminds me of Taylor Swift's song called "Mean". 

You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker man

You can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know, what you don't know...

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again

I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know, what you don't know...

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean

All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so?..

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city 
And all you're ever gonna be is mean 
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me 
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/mean.html