Adeline Yen Mahs Presentation of Chinese Culture in Chinese Cinderella

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Adeline Yen Mahs Presentation of Chinese Culture in Chinese Cinderella

Adeline Yen Mah was born in 1937 in China during cultural upheaval.

'Chinese Cinderella' is an autobiography of Yen Mah's life during the

ages of 4-14 years. As the book is a portrait that is only written

from Yen Mah's view over life it would differ if someone else wrote

it. The Chinese culture, traditions and history changed dramatically

when the French involved themselves in their lives.

Yen Mah actually lived in a French concession, this meant that she and

any other Chinese people living in the area, were classed as

second-class people over the French in their own country. This was a

result of the Chinese losing the Opium war in 1842, which led their

country to fall under foreign control. In 1941 the Japanese bombed

Pearl Harbour, which involved the United States in the Second World

War, although Tianjin (The place where yen Mah and her family lived)

was occupied by the Japanese the French concession was still being

governed by French officials. 'French policemen strutted about looking

important and barking out orders in their language, which they

expected everyone to understand', even though the French had taken

over parts of China no one could understand them, 'at my school,

mother Agnes taught us the alphabet and how to count in

French…bilingual store signs were common but the most exclusive shops

painted their signs only in French'. In restaurants French people

overpowered Chinese people. If there was a queue of Chinese people

trying to get in French people would walk to the front, give their

French name and walk right in.

As soon as she was bor...

... middle of paper ...

... announced

today that 14-year-old Hong Kong school girl Adeline Jun-Ling Yen won

first prize in the International Play-writing Competition…our sincere

congratulations Adeline Yen for bringing honour to Hong Kong'. Yen Mah

finally had a father, 'I was quite pleased to tell him you are my

daughter'. The superstition that Yen Mah was 'bad luck' had been

lifted, she had her father back and the chance to go to medical school

in England. 'That's a foolproof profession for you…father I shall go

to medical school in England and become a doctor, thank you very, very

much'.

Adeline Yen Mah had overcome all of the traditions, culture and

historic problems that faced her, and had been rewarded with her

father classing her as his daughter again and she was able to travel

to England, far away form all of China's upheavals.

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