Joseph is the father of Adeline and all of her siblings, referred to as "Father" throughout the novel. Affluent, intelligent, business savvy and ambitious, Father is seemingly ignorant of the feelings of others, particularly his children. Continually abandoning Adeline, ignoring the wishes of his own father, he appears to value only the opinion of his new wife Niang and an overwhelming drive to be materially successful. Six weeks after the death of Nai Nai (Yen Mah's grandmother), in August 1943, Yen Mah and her full siblings joined them at the house afterward. [13] [14]

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. Mah, Adeline Yen (2015). Chinese Cinderella. London: Puffin Books. p.6. ISBN 978-0-14-135941-0. OCLC 914452896. Find sources: "Ye Xian"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( May 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Mah, Adeline Yen (2015). Chinese Cinderella. London: Puffin Books. pp.1–2. ISBN 978-0-14-135941-0. OCLC 914452896. Adeline is the fifth youngest of the Yen family and the protagonist of the novel. The book follows her childhood from the age of four to her departure to England in her early teens. Adeline is an outcast in the eyes of much of her own family, since her birth brought upon the death of her mother. Her inadvertent role in her mother's passing causes animosity between her and her older siblings and contributes to her father's apathy towards her. Ye Ye dies that year and Adeline attends his funeral. She is the only member of the family who cries at the loss. Niang also announces that Father will no longer pay for Adeline’s schooling after this term. Adeline falls into a heavy, anxious depression for several weeks. In the midst of this, however, Father’s chauffer takes her to discuss something with Father. She is initially fearful, but when she speaks with Father, he reveals that she has won the playwriting competition and brought Hong Kong and him great honor. As a reward, Father agrees to send Adeline to study in England with Third Brother, where she will study medicine.

Above all, there is the wisdom and magic of our language itself. When you read a Chinese book, try to look at the characters and think about them. I have met many who appear to know a good many Chinese words but never actually grasp the true meaning of any of them.” Chinese Cinderella, p.151 Find sources: "Chinese Cinderella"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( September 2020) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) A figure from Slavic folklore , Koschei the Deathless (aka Koschei the Immortal) was known for his titular characteristic: his inability to die. What is most interesting about this figure, however,... Ye Ye expresses a level of insight that has been apparent within him for the entirety of the novel but never outwardly expressed until this instance. The quote expresses finality: regardless of all the effort or sweat that Adeline pours onto her goals, there are some inescapable truths that come with her birth. Perseverance is an admirable trait that Adeline exhibits throughout the novel, leading the reader to believe that anything can be overcome with faith and hard work. Ye Ye shows us that diligence doesn't destroy all barriers but rather that some must be first accepted to be overcome. SCOBIE, ALEX. "SOME FOLKTALES IN GRAECO-ROMAN AND FAR EASTERN SOURCES". In: Philologus 121, no. 1-2 (1977): 17-18. https://doi.org/10.1524/phil.1977.121.12.1

Adeline is the narrator and protagonist of the memoir, which describes her coming-of-age in an abusive home. Born the fifth child of a wealthy businessman in Tianjin, China, Adeline is blamed for the death of… The cruel stepmother and her daughter were never allowed to visit Ye Xian, and were forced to live in a cave until the day came when a rain of fiery stones killed them.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Ko, Dorothy. "Perspectives on Foot-binding." ASIANetwork Exchange. 15.3 December 2011. Accessed July 24, 2015. Her second work, Chinese Cinderella, was an abridged version of her autobiography (until she leaves for England aged 14), and has sold over one million copies worldwide. It received numerous awards, including Yet another version of the story finds Ye-Xian's new husband bringing her stepfamily to live with them in his palace. There is a catch, however: Jin and Jun-Li must cater to the whims of his queen and himself, and to the eventual whims of their children and heirs. Otherwise, Jun-Li and Jin will be cast out among the populace...who, knowing of the pair's ghastly natures, will surely rip them both to pieces on sight. And so poetic justice prevails: Ye-Xian's stepfamily find themselves trapped in servitude, surrounded by the lifestyle of royalty to which they aspired; they are in it, and of it, but they will never have it. Rather, it has them instead.

Adeline Yen Mah is a Founder and President of the Falling Leaves Foundation, whose mission is "to understand the understanding between East and West" and provides funds for the study of Chinese history, language, and culture. There is also an award dedicated to teaching Australia over the Internet for free, and the foundation has established a poetry prize at UCLA. In 2013, she created an iPad game, PinYinPal, for learning Mandarin. [23] [24] [25] [26] Bibliography [ edit ] a b Mah, Adeline Yen (2015). Chinese Cinderella. London: Puffin Books. p.104. ISBN 978-0-14-135941-0. OCLC 914452896. The joy exhibited by Adeline when she is given reason to believe that her savior has come at last is heart wrenching. After all the misfortune that has befallen this young girl in her eleven years of life would lead one to believe that something had to break right. In a strange way, something finally did. Even though Aunt Baba, who the reader views as the primary positive adult figure in Adeline’s life, had still not taken an active role in helping her situation, the Schillings turned out to be an unexpected blessing. The quote shows the utter joy that our otherwise steadfast protagonist lets break through, a revealing relief after putting on a brave face. As much as Adeline is working hard to not let the unfortunate turns get to her, the outpouring of emotion shows how much she actually needed something to go her way.Mah, Adeline Yen (1998). Falling leaves: the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter. New York: Wiley. pp.115–117. ISBN 978-0-585-36179-6. OCLC 47011622.