Chinese Cinderella

Adeline’s banishment to the boarding school in Tianjin, and the events leading up to it, constitute the first of two key personal crises that Adeline experiences in Chinese Cinderella. Her parents’ decision to abandon her in a warzone, with caretakers (namely the nuns) who are the targets of political persecution themselves, is presented as the pinnacle of Niang and Father’s abuse toward Adeline. The extremity of their neglect is underscored by one mother’s horrified question for Adeline: “What have you done that your parents should wish to punish you like this!” (129). This question, nevertheless, reinforces the sense of blame that other characters impart toward Adeline for her parents’ neglect.

The new school in Tianjin highlights The Impact of External Culture Wars on Internal Conflict in Adeline’s life. Externally, the People’s Liberation Army’s impending arrival in the city weighs heavily on the nuns. This, in turn, weighs heavily on Adeline, as she writes, “I had taken the blows as they came, with stoical fortitude […] the fear of being imprisoned by the Communists; the knowledge of my teachers’ own terror and helplessness” (137). The emotional trauma of this experience forges a bond of camaraderie between herself and the nuns, and this is the period in which Adeline experiences the most notable internal cultural shift. She describes a spiritual experience she has while at the school, recounting how incense and candle smoke in the chapel wafted in front of statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and how she did not want the smoke to disappear. This imagery recalls the smokey scene of Nai Nai’s funeral, thus suggesting a shift of individuality in Adeline as she begins to forge her own sense of spirituality apart from her family’s.

Despite the extreme hardship of this period, allies to Adeline abound, and they provide her with hope. Wu Chun-mei’s defiant warning to Niang and Father—“You’re cruel and barbaric! I’ll tell my father!” (116)—though futile, is a cathartic resolution to the catastrophic events of the election “party.” It offers a climactic revelation to Adeline’s friends regarding the Dichotomies Between Home Life and School Life. It also speaks to the differing degrees of social power between the two friends; while Adeline cannot afford to be openly defiant with her parents, Wu Chun-mei is self-assured in her family’s influence and knows that no matter what, she will return home safely. Thus, this brief line of dialogue highlights privilege as an essential aspect of allyship, necessary for helping to empower those in need. The same can be said for Aunt Reine, who wields considerable power as a wealthy woman and Niang’s sister; she can easily liberate Adeline from the school in Tianjin and whisk her away on a boat to Hong Kong. Both acts of allyship prove to be some of the most triumphant moments in Adeline’s childhood.

Similarly, Adeline’s relationship with Aunt Baba is a source of strength for her. Chapter 15 contains the memoir’s first foray into the epistolary form, with the insertion of a letter that Adeline writes to Aunt Baba during her time in Tianjin. In the letter, Adeline’s helplessness is even more apparent; written in the present tense, it has a more immersive effect than the rest of the memoir, which is in past tense. Her questions for Aunt Baba are effectively rhetorical since they will go tragically unanswered. Readers are thus encouraged to ponder them alongside Adeline and determine the answers for themselves. When Adeline woefully asks, “Why don’t you write? Why doesn’t anyone send a letter?” (134), the subtext—that Baba’s letters are being intercepted by Niang or Father—goes unnoticed by Adeline. Despite suffering their abuse for years, Adeline is still unable to see the scope of their negative influence, emphasizing her childhood innocence.