Introduction
The book Chinese Cinderella is the tragic, moving autobiography of a young Chinese girl, Adeline Yen Mah. The book details her struggle for acceptance among her family, after they blamed her for the death of her mother during childbirth, as per Chinese culture. It follows Adeline through from the age of 4 in the French concession territory in the Tianjin province to her departure to England at the age of 13, starting in the year 1938 amidst the second Sino-Japanese War. It details her conflicts with the main antagonist of her life, her half Chinese, half French stepmother, Niang, as well as celebrates her success in her academics, which Adeline discovers will please her father. Throughout her many challenges, we see that Adeline’s …show more content…
In China the concept of “face”, or ego, is highly valued in Chinese society. (China Mike, n.d.) This concept of face can be described as how one is viewed by others. In Chinese Cinderella, these characteristics are frequently displayed by Adeline’s father, who’s “main goal in life is to be admired by his peers for his material wealth and his business accomplishments, often leading to the neglect of his family.” Adeline’s father only gives his attention to her when she achieves high grades in school, as demonstrated in Adeline’s earliest memory of him, being pleased when Adeline tops her class in kindergarten. However, this trait is not restricted to Adeline’s father, as Adeline herself also demonstrates these characteristics, as shown in chapter 8, where she refuses to accept offers for rides home, for fear of revealing to her classmates the fact that her personal life is far from ideal.

Another example of pride and Chinese culture in Chinese Cinderella is when it is revealed to Adeline’s father that she had won an international play-writing competition by his “revered colleague, C. Y. Tung, a prominent fellow businessman also from Shanghai.” (p. 220) This is significant as Adeline’s father had impressed his colleague, and thus Adeline “had given him face”, definitely pleasing him. As a reward, this event would serve as the mechanism that would send Adeline to England to