Chinese Cinderella

Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter

1999 Puffin edition
Author	Adeline Yen Mah
Language	English, Chinese and Bangla
Series	Falling Leaves
Genre	autobiographical novel
Publisher	Delacourte Press
Publication place	China
Published in English	1999
Media type	Print (hardback, paperback)
Pages	240
ISBN	0385227072
Followed by	Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

Chinese Cinderella is a novel written by author Adeline Yen Mah which describes her experiences growing up in China during the Second World War. It was published in 1999 and is a revised version of part of her autobiography, Falling Leaves.

Summary

Chinese Cinderella is the story of an unwanted daughter named Adeline Yen Mah. She has talents, but this is unrecognized by most of her family. Her stepmother Niang always puts her down and even once became so angered that she resorted to physical abuse. Her whole family (except Aunt Baba, her grandmother Nai-Nai and her grandfather Ye-Ye) blame her for her mother's death because she died shortly after giving birth to Adeline. Her family ignores her evident intelligence and talent simply because of her position in the family, an unloved stepdaughter and the reason for her mother's death. She is battered down several times but Adeline fought back and never gave up. She never tells anyone at school that she is an unloved child. Eventually Niang and her father send her to a boarding school in Tianjin where she becomes the only child there as a result of the war and the Communists. She becomes very lonely, but one day Niang's sister comes and rescues her and takes her back to her family in Hong Kong. Here she is sent to another boarding school, this time with more pupils, but she is teased at this school and becomes sad because no one comes to visit her. After winning a play-writing contest, her father allows her to go to a university in England with her older brother and study medicine and obsterics.

Life-changing moments

While at boarding school, Adeline is taken away by her chauffeur. She is told that her grandfather, Ye Ye has died. While at the funeral, Adeline openly weeps, while her step-mother and her father look on stony-faced. The rest of her siblings don't care and through the ceremony don't show any heartache to the loss of this family member who loved them so much.

While playing monopoly with her friends at boarding school, Adeline is interrupted and taken home by her chauffeur. She meets her father in his room (the Holy of Holies), where he precedes to tell Adeline the she has won first prize in the international play-writing competition. Adeline, thinking it was now or never, asks her she says literature. But her father thinks it best that she go to medical school instead of literature and specialize in obstetrics. Adeline finally gets something she had been longing for, a chance to follow her dreams.

Family and relationship

Adeline came from a rich family. She was born in China, Tianjin. She stayed with her YeYe, father, stepmother (Niang 娘), Aunt Baba, big brother, big sister, second brother, third brother, fourth brother (stepbrother), little sister (stepsister) in Tianjin. She is discriminated and neglected by physical and verbal abuse from all members of her family (except Nai-Nai, Ye-Ye and Aunt Baba).

External links

* Yen Mah at Big Toe Books rejoice Adeine was abused by all her brothers and sisters but little sister (her stepsister) and third brothr becomes kin to her in the very end when all the siblings are gone, but when they are there he just follows quietly sort of out of the way.

References

2. http://penguin.com.au/PUFFIN/notes/pdf/0141304871.pdf