Ji-li Jiang

Sneha Jain

RED SCARF GIRL

Red Scarf Girl

Theme

Ji-li Jiang wants to show that change isn’t always for the better. In

1966, Chairman Mao had convinced the youth of China to forgo the

‘four olds,’ which were “old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old

habits” (Jiang 21). They were also taught to take action against

those opposing the revolution; “[the Red Guard] kicked the cane

out of Old Qian’s hand and savagely pushed him down on his knees

onto the sharp ridges of the washboard” (Jiang 112). Though it

appeared that society benefitted from this change, in reality, many

citizens were harassed by the Red Guard and treated badly because

of their political status or lifestyle. This is shown when Ms Jiang

writes, “There was Dad. Even at a distance and in the poor light I

recognized him immediately. He was carrying a large concrete pipe

on his shoulder with Uncle Fan and two other men. His back was

more stooped than I remembered, and he was awkwardly using his

hands to take the weight of the pipe off his shoulder” (Jiang 188-9).

Ms. Jiang shows these experiences through her perspective as a

child with a ‘black’ political status in her book Red Scarf Girl. She

remembers her mixed feelings about Chairman Mao’s revolution

for a New China; Ji-li Jiang writes, “I could not fight anymore. As I

trembled down the stairs with Grandma, a thought came to me for

the first time in my life. Should I continue to live at all?” (Jiang

259). Though Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution had taken

almost everything away from her, Ms. Jiang did not hate him. She

writes, “Many friends have asked me why, after all I went through, I

did not hate Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution in those

years. The answer is simple: We were all brainwashed” (Jiang

265). Through her writing, Ms. Jiang also wants to represent those

who suffered as she did during China’s Cultural Revolution.

Chairman Mao

Red Scarf Girl

Fun Facts

China held the 2008 Summer Olympics in its capital city, Beijing

China has the largest population in the world – it has over one billion people!

Nine out of ten Chinese are literate

Mandarin is the most commonly spoken language in China

China is the fourth largest country in the world

The Chinese invented ice cream, paper, the compass, gunpowder, and toilet paper!

Purpose

Many people think that life in China is good; everything is cheaper,

there are more jobs, and the students are highly educated. But life

in China wasn’t always this way. Ji-li Jiang writes to inform people

about the hardships the Chinese had to face in order to progress to

this point; China was once a nation under communist control. She

writes to expand the little knowledge Americans have about China

and to form a cultural connection between her home country and

the western world.

Ji-Li Jiang also wrote this book to show the bond between her and

her family. She refused to give up on her family and turn her back

to them, even though it could have ruined her future. Ms. Jiang

wanted to persuade others that they should have a strong

relationship with their family members, too.

simplifying IT

“Now, you have to choose between two roads.” Thin-Face looked straight into my eyes. “You

can break with your family and follow Chairman Mao, or you can follow your father and become

an enemy of the people.” His voice grew more severe. “In that case we would have many more

study sessions, with your brother and sister too, and the Red Guard Committee and the school

leaders. Think about it. We will come back to talk to you again” (Jiang 226).

All Ji-Li wanted was to be in the Red Guard, and a part of the revolution. But when her fellow

citizens turn against her, she has to make the biggest decision of her life; break with her family

or follow her father? She knows that her father did nothing wrong, but if she doesn’t testify,

she will be thought of as an enemy of change and shunned from society. Because of her

family’s ‘black’ status, the Red Guard has already searched their house; now what will happen if

she refuses to testify against her father?

Author Bio

Ji-Li Jiang has been a science teacher, an operations analyst, and a budget

director before she settled on writing. She writes to broaden knowledge about

her Chinese background, and has also set up a business and a nonprofit

organization to support this belief. East West Exchange and Cultural Exchange

International are both companies she created to increase interaction between

China and the western world.

In addition to The Red Scarf Girl (1997), she has also written and published The

Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven (2001). This book is a retelling of a

classic Chinese tale adapted for elementary school children. Another book she

has contributed in is In My Grandmother’s House (2003), which is a collection of

stories from various authors about their grandmothers.

Ji-Li Jiang travels frequently; she regularly goes to Seattle to visit her family, and

she often guides tours in China through her business East West Exchange. In

addition, she visits many schools, conventions, and conferences across the

country to discuss her books.

Tease