Chinese Cinderella (Page 123-161)

Title: Chinese Cinderella
Author: Adeline Yen Mah
Page 123-161

Summary
As a punishment, Jung-Ling’s father and stepmother transferred Jung-Ling back to Tianjin. The separation of her from her dear Aunt Baba and her Ye Ye (grandfather) was heartbreaking. Also the timing of such as unreasonable judgment was absurd. In September 1948, Jung-Ling transfers to a foreign convent school. There was a civil war occurring in China at that time. The Communists and the Nationalists were in battle for the control over China. In the story, the Chinese citizens view the Communists as the dark side and were taking over Tianjin and Beijing. All the desperate people were fleeing Tianjin to Shanghai or a safer place. Meanwhile, the new school was foreign. Meaning, all the classes were in English, which Jung-Ling had no clue about it. As the year goes, fewer students were in the class until Jung-Ling was the only one left. The days became slower and lonelier. Adeline or Jung-Ling felt homesick. By the way, the nuns called Jung-Ling Adeline. In 1949, Niang’s sister, Reine Schilling finally rescues Adeline from the convent. She was a nice person to the narrator. Aunt Reine explains to Adeline about them traveling to Hong Kong, the location of her family. During the ship trip, the Schilling family treated the narrator with kindness and Adeline became attach to them. However, as Adeline returns with her family, she became distant with the Schilling because of Niang. On the other side, Adeline was reunited with her grandfather. He thought her the significance of being Chinese. At the end, Adeline is left alone (again) into a Hong Kong boarding school for several years.

Quote
“I would give everything in the world to be with you and Ye Ye again back in Shanghai…Don’t Forget me” (Mah 135).

Reaction
Jung-Ling adopts a new name from the convent nuns or Mothers. Her name became Adeline. In the story, the reader (s) learns more about the unwanted daughter’s loneliness at the school in Tianjin. Each word Mah uses to describe the narrator’s feeling is so vivid. The quote above makes the reader sadden. The quote comes from Adeline’s letter to Aunt Baba. The words reflect the feeling of Adeline wanting to reunite with her dear family. The desire to leave the boring place the school has become. After several pages later, the actions of Aunt Reine relieves the concerns of the reader over little Adeline. But still, Adeline’s return with the Yen family has not affected her current relation with her family.