Red Scarf Girl (book)

The Liberation Army Dancer In 1966 when the Cultural Revolution was just beginning, there was a smart well liked 12 year old girl named Ji Li. In music class, she was brought into a room to show a liberation army woman how flexible she was. Ji Li was asked to lean backwards as far as she could because the liberation army woman was examining her to see if she and some fellow classmates were flexible. Ji- Li was asked to audition but her father did not let her try out, because of their political background. Ji Li's family's political background was that her grandfather, whom she never met, was a landlord. In the days of the Cultural Revolution, landlords were considered bad. That was the start of when the Cultural Revolution affected Jiang Ji Li.

Destroy The Four Olds Ji-li and her friends received money from their parents to go rent books at Hung book store. On Sundays they happily looked for books of all genres; fairy-tales, animal books, and adventure books. She loved looking at the stack of wonderful, interesting books. Just when they finally got settled An-Yi barged in and told them that people were destroying a sign at the prosperity market. People were stomping on the expensive signs, breaking them, running over them with truck, and chopping them with an ax.

Writing Da-zi-bao All students were directed instead Ji-Li's school to participate in the activity of writing big posters (da-zi-bao) criticizing the education system and teachers. The da-zi-bao is something the whole town and the country do and write bad things about the people and things that they don't like in their school. Ji-Li found out that they are posting the da-zi-bao on houses of teachers and 'enemies'. This Da-Zi-Bao said mean things about these people and it isn't the nicest thing to post on someone's door. Ji-Li did not enjoy this act, but there was nothing she could do to stop this revolutionary act. Ji-Li has an amazing relationship with her teachers, so saying mean things about her teachers was not the easiest action to do.

The Red Successors Ji-Li tells her parents about the Da-zi-bao that was written about her and they are very concerned so they make her stay home for a couple of days. When she finally returns, Ji-Li is nominated to be a Red Successor which is a big part for kids in the Cultural Revolution. Dui-Hai starts talking, and brings up the fact that Ji-li has a landlord grandfather, which was a "four old." She can not become a Red Successor because of her "black" class status. One day she is called to go to a meeting with the red successors. Now Ji-Li is picked on and put in a struggle meeting with her Red Successor classmates and she is criticized so harshly that she cries. Lastly, Ji-Li finds out that there would be no graduation.

Graduation Ji-Li is told she does not have to study over the summer for there is no early exam test the next year that she has to take and all of the students will pass. The teachers will assign kids to the school they think the student will do well in. As expected, Ji-Li gets into a better school even after she got rejected from the red successors. She ran to her friend, An-Yi's house to tell her the good news and comfort her because of An-Yi's previous asthma attack. Ji-Li and An-Yi prepared for going to the school of their dreams and bought their new lunch boxes until they heard a rumor that the teachers' assignments to the schools were canceled. They heard right, students will be assigned to schools in their district. Another one of Ji-Li's dreams is crushed. Ji-Li just doesn't understand, she's a great student and a great dancer but her family doesn't want her to do it. The black background is holding her back from what she really wants.

The Sound of Drums and Gongs The Red Guards searched through Old Lady Rong's apartment. If any four old items were found, they would be taken and destroyed. Things found in the searched homes that were four olds, were taken and transformed into useful things, that weren't four olds. Ji-yong, convinces Grandma to let Ji-Li and him take her to the clinic, for her arthritis. They decide to go in the neighborhood pedicab, which you can take if have a sick family member. Ji-yong gets to drive, and didn't slow down, so Ji-Li and Ji-yun lost control of it. They end up getting to the clinic safely, which makes him boast to their mother when she gets home.

The Propaganda Wall The Propaganda wall is a wall that displays the newest campaigns of Chairman Mao. Now it showcases a painting of Chairman Mao and people are always bowing down to him to show loyalty to the communist party. The rag picker ripped the newspaper in half and there happened to be a picture of Chairman Mao on the back. Then Six-fingers took him in to the police station because this was considered a fourold. Later in that week, a Red Successor comes to speak about how Chairman Mao came to town and tons of people were gathered from all different parts of China just to be near him and listen to him speak.

A Search in Passing Then Grandma takes Ji-li, her siblings, and her cousins on a picnic because Ji-li's parents want them out of the house when the Red Guards come. Ji-li saw Red Guards make Old Man Quian kneel on a washboard while they searched his house. Ji-Li was worried about the Red Guards coming to search the house while at the park. Their mop was not in the front of the house, and that was their sign not to come in. So the family won't get caught by the Red Guards, Mom and Dad are burning all the old photos in the bathroom. Then the Red Guards come and search their house. So the children would not be afraid Mom and Dad tell them to hide in the bathroom. They opened the door and searched the entire house, destroying almost all of their possessions forever.

Fate The Junior High School teachers were still out of the city establishing revolutionary ties and no one could enroll the new students. Ji li was bored and at the same time worried with all the current up and down situations going on. One afternoon, she found her Aunt Xi-Wen sweeping the streets and saw her take a serious fall. Just when she wanted to go forward to help her aunt, Shan Shan, her aunt's son walked towards her mother. however, to her surprise, he walked right by her, then she remembered that Shan-Shan had written a da-zi-bao after their house had been searched. One December afternoon when An-yi and Ji-li came home from a walk, they saw a big crowd gathered in the middle of the alley. An-yi turned pale and ran to the crowd dragging Ji-li with her. Ji li and An Yi found Du Hai's mom in a struggle meeting in a nearby ally. She was accused of mistreating and lying to her workers and was beaten and embarrassed in front of all the people watching.

Junior High School at Last Ji li, a twelve year old Chinese girl is graduating primary school with her best friend An yi. They both wish not to have any of the same people in the class because they didn't want anyone to know about their black background. They both get their new classes, there not in the same class but they see no one form last year's class so they are both really happy. Ji-Li ends up really liking her teacher Zhang Xin. She loves the sound of his voice and how beautiful and powerful his handwriting looked. The teachers teach about Chairman Mao. Ji Li gets offered to write on the blackboard because she has really neat handwriting but she does not want to because she thinks they will investigate and find out how she has a black background and she does not want that.

Locked Up It was now winter vacation and all the kids were starting to stay at their house. One night, Uncle Fan knocked on the Jiang's door. His face was swollen, bruised and bloody, which startled the whole family. The next morning, when everyone awakes, Dad still isn't home. They are very worried and think that he has been locked up. Ji Li calls their uncle, who was at the party with him, to ask what happened to her dad. He was acting very nervous and didn't want to tell Ji Li that her father was locked up for not following Chairman Mao's rules. During all of this, her mom's miner syndrome was acting up. She is getting very nervous and extremely worried.

An Educable Child As Ji li is sewing, she gets a knock on the door, it was Lin lin, a girl in her class. She came to inform her that Teacher Zhang wanted her to attend a meeting the next day. Then Ji Li's little brother Ji Yong walks in. Her grandmother questions him about his trip to see his dad. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to talk or see him. When she arrived at the meeting she couldn't figure out what it was for. Then she realized it was for class education exhibition. So she went and asked Teacher Zhang. He said that he picked her for a reason and that it didn't matter about her families class status, he believed she was a very good educable child.

Half-City Jiangs Ji Li's father becomes cleared of the charge of listening to foreign radio. Ji Li's dad returns home but just to get a pair of clothing and they find out that he is not able to stay. After that a newspaper article comes out saying that the Jiang's are a landlord family and that they are very rich. As Ji Li is leaving the house she shouts at her mom, "I hate this landlord family." Ji- Li is angry about her landlord grandfather making her life hard so she goes to the police station to attempt to change her name but soon runs away. When she learns that she wants to becomes an educable child, and then breaks away from her entire family, she rethinks her plan.

The Class Education ExhibitionJi-Li's school holds the Class Education Exhibition, people present in front of the school. Ji-Li is doing a presentation about landlords and how terrible and cruel they were to the slaves and people in debt. Chairman Jin comes to see Ji-Li's presentation, and actually praises her job well done. Later, Thin Face asks to have a meeting with Ji-Li about Ji li becoming an educable child. They wanted her to protest against her father at the struggle meetings and break free from her black family. She just couldn't imagine herself getting up on the platform and leading the chant against her father, maybe even having to slap him in the face or beat him. Ji Li goes to school to help the revolutionary committee but when she arrives she finds that her spot has been replaced because of her political status and her choice. Ji Li runs away from school in shame and realizes that living with her black family is becoming harder than ever.

The Rice Harvest Over the summer, Middle School Students are forced to perform Summer Labor, Chang Hong, Ji Li's friend and classmate convinces Ji Li to go into summer labor on the countryside. She agrees when she learns it would help in her in remolding. Ji Li arrives in a farm in the countryside with some of her classmates. Ji-Li's job is to harvest rice in the fields. The work is backbreaking labor and Ji Li is in much pain, but she's determined to finish. Bai Shan helps her finish. The next day, she faints from heat stroke, while loading rice into a thresher. Later, she learns from Chang Hong that she is returning to Shanghai to complete a study session with her father's theater. She does not return to the rice field again.

The Incriminating Letter Ji-li returns from her work harvesting in the country. One of her father's colleagues came to talk to Ji li's mom about an important government letter. The letter was a complaint about the Rebels at the theater that Ji-li's dad works at. She knew that if people from the theater saw the letter, their family would be condemned. Ji-li's mother came rushing upstairs to say that the people from the theater were coming. Ji-li's mom gave her the letter and told her to hide it. Ji-li had no idea where to put it and she rushed around their apartment frantically. She finally buried it under the ashes in their cat's litter box. Then she came downstairs, just to find the theater people taking all her possessions away forever. One of the people searching the house asked Ji-li where the letter was. They made Grandma face the wall on her hands and knees. Ji-li and her family thought it was horrible to watch Grandma suffer, but still did not tell.

Sweeping After the search through the house, Ji-li sees her dear old grandma sweeping the streets. She was being punished for being found out as a landlord's wife. After Ji-li's mom talked to Ji-li about becoming in charge of her brothers and sisters she realizes that even though she had been strongly been thinking of becoming an educable child, she had really been there for her family all along.

Epilogue After Chairman Mao's death, people realized that he had really taken advantage of their trust and loyalty. Ji-li and her family moved to the United States thirty years later.

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