Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

Sue Fink
6th Grade World Geography
Deer Lakes Middle School
Red Scarf Girl A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution Ji-Li Jiang
The autobiographical story of the Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang is a emotionally moving story of the life of Ji-Li as she experiences the cultural revolution in communist China starting in 1966. In the beginning of the story Ji-Li is enjoying her life. She is successful in school having earned her teachers respect with a excellent classwork and a strong work ethic. She proudly wears her red scarf an emblem of the Young Pioneers a primary school group and step towards communist party membership as an adult. Her education is based on the philosophy of Chinese leader Mao Ze-dong and communism. In 1966 the Cultural Revolution began, Ji-Li was definitely loyal to Leader Mao and the communist party throughout the majority of the book. As she witnessed the Cultural Revolution power struggles you could feel Ji-Li's conflict as her natural human compassion and sense of right verses wrong in the discriminating acts she was witnessing. As the discrimination continued to get closer and closer to her family and friends Ji-Li tries to hold her family together. You feel her sense of entrapment and helplessness for a situation she did not create. This quick easy read covers a short period of time in Ji-Li's life from twelve years old to fourteen years old. The epilogue helps to give the reader closure and a sense of hope as Ji-Li continued to love her home country of China and put this dark place in her life behind her.
I will use excerpts from this book to help teach about communist types of government. This book give many good examples of how communist government leaders suppress the people under their leadership. After sharing excerpts from this book I would have students compare and contrast their home life, school life, or summer break to Ji-Li experiences. Red Scarf Girl is a perfect book for students in sixth grade. They can relate since Ji-Li is the same age as them during this time in her life. This could then lead to a discussion which would compare and contrast a democratic government with a communist government.
If sharing the entire book with students a discussion on pressure could also be discussed. There were a number of times in the book when Ji-Li was placed under great pressure. The da-zi-boa, testifying against her father, the sweeping of her apartment and hiding her mother's letter. How did she handle the pressure? Did she give up and run away? How did other characters handle the pressure? She shows Ji-Li's insecurities and self doubt but also shows Ji-Li talking to Lin-lin who also has insecurities and self doubt both girls admire each other.
This book included a glossary at the end of the story which would be helpful in sharing this book with students. The note to the reader, note on pronunciation, and forward all give helpful background to readers who are not familiar with the Chinese language or the history of China.

Name: Kimberly Adams
School: Southminster Childcare
Grade: Pre-K
The Red Scarf Girl is an eye opening memoir about Ji Li Jiang, a 12 year old girl growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. The way this book is formatted makes it ideal for students in 6th through 10th grade. The first section of the book is a helpful note to the reader describing information about Chinese names and proper pronunciation. This small section makes it easier to try and sound out the names while reading so that the flow of the story is not interrupted. After this section there is a forward written by David Henry Hwan, a man of Chinese ethnicity that was growing up in America during the Cultural Revolution in China. Hwan describes how different his life was in comparison to his relatives still living in China at this point and how he gained a deeper understanding of the time period after reading this book. In the back of the book there is a glossary that defines many unfamiliar or challenging vocabulary words. Before asking the students read the actual story, I would spend a significant amount of time discussing the note to the author, forward, and glossary to help students understand and appreciate the content of this story more deeply.
The actual memoir starts off with Ji Li Jiang describing her family and her typical life as a twelve year old child. It is revealed that she is an excellent and an outgoing student who has a positive outlook on her future. She sets high expectations for herself and does everything that she can to make her goals a reality. At first she is enthusiastic about the Cultural Revolution and is one of its biggest supporters. In fact, one of her main goals is to become a member of the Red Guard, a group of high school and college students who were huge supporters of Chairman Mao. Ji Li is happy to rid China of its old and out dated traditions and take every opportunity to witness the cultural revolution in action.
As the story progresses Ji Li is devastated when she learns a dark secret about her deceased grandfather. Although her grandfather is no longer living, his poor choices soon affect the quality of Ji Li and her family’s lives. The consequences start out small with Ji Li’s classmates making rude comments and writing some on a poster displayed at school. Before long the situation escalates and Ji Li’s entire family is being accused and scrutinized for crimes they did not comment. Ji Li’s optimism falters as she is forced to watch all of those around her suffer. The Red Guard mercilessly raids Ji Li’s house and other houses in the area to find and destroy out dated and luxurious items, and Gi Li’s some of her relatives are forced to attending struggle meetings where they are publicly humiliated and abused. The story concludes with Ji Li being pressured into choosing between being faithful to her family or to the Cultural Revolution.
For older students, this book would be a wonderful addition to a unit on China’s Cultural Revolution. In a social studies class this novel would help to add emotion and understand as to what a difficult time the Cultural Revolution was for families living in China. When a narrative account is added to facts about the past, it helps students to see that these events were more than recorded dates and that the Cultural Revolution had a serious impact on people’s lives. One activity students and middle school or high school could try would be to compare and contrast their own lives with the life of Ji Li. Noting the similarities between their lives and Ji Li’s would help make the story more relatable to their personal lives. Another good writing activity would be to have the students write journal entries from the perspective of Ji Li or one of the other characters. This activity would help the students put themselves in Ji Li’s place and imagine how they would handle different situations she encounters throughout the novel.

Lisa Sydeski, 10-12 Shaping the Modern World 20th Century, AP European History. Thomas Jefferson High School
Red Scarf Girl is a memoir written from the perspective of twelve year old Ji-Li Jiang. The telling tale of Mao’s Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) affected all aspects of China: social, economic, and political life. In order for students to fully understand the story, it may be helpful to provide some historical background regarding Mao’s intent. The goal of the revolution included purging all capitalist and traditional elements of Chinese society. In order to remove these so-called “revisionists”, Mao promoted a violent class struggle in which he appealed to the youth and empowered the Red Guards. The movement spread to all walks of life in which neighbor turned against neighbor, students against teachers, even family members against each other. His call for “perpetual revolution” led to the elimination of his rivals and the consolidation of Mao’s power. In addition, it led to a “lost generation” of young people who had to make near impossible choices to slander your own parents or face being labeled an enemy of the people.
Ji-Li was born on Chinese New Year. Her parents chose her name carefully; Ji meaning ‘lucky’ and Li meaning ‘beautiful’. They were hopeful she would grow up to find happiness living in Shanghai. A sixth-grader at the top of her class, she is faced with many obstacles as her family is labeled as ‘black’ or ‘Rightest’ due to her grandfather’s status as a wealthy landlord. Ji-Li is very bright and strives to stand out among her classmates. During the Cultural Revolution, her opportunities are limited due to her family background. First, her father discourages her from applying to the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy because he knows she will be rejected due to her family background. Ji-Li losses her status as a student at the top of the class and is denied entrance as a member of the Red Guards. A consistent theme throughout the book is the internal conflict she faces as Ji-Li tries to decide whether to participate in the activities of the revolution or what she deems right and appropriate in her heart. For example, she watches her classmates slander her teachers; however, she is unable to bring herself to join in. At times, she does chose the Cultural Revolution over her family as seen during the summer in which she goes to the countryside to work instead of stay home to help her family. Ultimately Ji-Li will choose her family. When her father is detained for listening to foreign radio (a false accusation by her Uncle), she considers testifying against him; however, her commitment to her family is stronger. In the last chapter she writes “Once my life had been defined by my goals: to be a da-dui-zhang, to participate in the exhibition, to be a Red Guard. They seemed unimportant to me now. Now my life was defined by my responsibilities. I had promised to take care of my family, and would renew that promise every day.” After moving to Hawaii in 1984 Ji-Li was inspired by the reading the diary of Anne Frank.
On the surface, Red Scarf Girl is a great way for students in History or Language Arts classes in both the middle school and high school levels to explore the culture and history of 20th century China. The book can serve a two-fold purpose: to understand the history of the Cultural Revolution and the underlying themes which include conflicting loyalties and the triumph of the human will. Students will hopefully be able to identify with individual struggles and the courage to make the right decisions.

The novel Red Scarf Girl would be appropriate for students in Middle School, as that is the age of the story’s main character and the reading level of the text. The heroine of the story is Ji li Jiang, a talented and hard working student who aspires to get into a premier high school. As all of our lives are influenced by ability, circumstance and fortune, so is Ji Li’s. She is twelve years old at the start of the Cultural Revolution in China (1966) and she not only has to deal with the usual adolescent vortex of emotions but also the turmoil and dramatic upheaval as her country reinforces it’s commitment to Communism.
The conflict in the story is between JiLi’s home and school life as she struggles to be both an exemplary, diligent student and a dutiful daughter. These goals are not always in alignment. In school her teachers and peers are determined to support Chairman Mao and throw off the old ways. Even school and education are considered revisionist because they promote education and personal ambition above workers. Ji Li does her best to comply with the new ways by painting propaganda posters for the Class Education Exhibition at school. Her family is considered “black class” because her deceased grandfather, was a bourgeois landlord. Because of this, she and her siblings, are bullied by the Red Guard Committee at school. The Red Guard Committee are her school mates, so I think these passages would resonate with middle school students who are familiar with bullying tactics. The harassment becomes so severe that JiLi stays home from school at times and stays indoors during summer and winter vacation.
Outside of school, tragic events are taking place, such as her best friend’s grandmother’s suicide and her aunt & uncle’s public shaming. Eventually, JiLi’s immediate family is targeted and their home is searched, her grandmother, sick mother and father are punished. Her father is relocated to a work camp and JiLi is recruited to testify against him. Throughout all of these proceedings, JiLi is torn between the indoctrination of the Communist party and her loyalty to her family (filial piety). She doesn’t always know exactly what is happening, as her grandmother, uncle and parents whisper their problems behind closed doors. She sees how her grandmother and aunt are tortured for their former capitalist lifestyle. At the conclusion, her heart is strong and brave as she commits to taking responsibility for caring for her family and putting them before her professed loyalty to the revolution.
I believe middle school students would enjoy this book, especially knowing that it is a true memoir of someone their age who lived through the Cultural Revolution. I think that giving them the author’s biography and some historical background knowledge would be necessary before reading the story. The book comes with a glossary of terms in the back that was very helpful and there is online support for teachers and students from the publisher.

Review by Angie Stokes
Social Studies, 5-8th grade
Our Lady of Grace School
First published in 1997, Red Scarf Girl is an extraordinary first-person tale of a teen growing up in the midst of China’s Cultural Revolution. The shift from middle school to high school is a big enough challenge for most American teens today, but Ji-li’s memoir take us a world away as she shares a portion of her life story. Throughout the tale, readers are torn, just as Ji-li is, between devotion to family and country. With a smooth and simple descriptive style, reader are asked to identify with the challenges posed by the psychological shifts and physical costs of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. This story presents numerous themes about the role of traditions, love for family, respect of oneself, and the desire to conform. A quote (page 198) by one of Ji-li’s teachers sums up the message of this book: “We cannot choose our families or our class. But we can choose our own futures.”
As readers, students will have no problem imaging themselves in her position--who hasn’t wanted to change their name and disassociate themselves from their family at one time or another? Yet forced into extreme situations that are far beyond the imaginations of most American students, one cannot help but envision the problems of making such choices when reading Red Scarf Girl. This vivid pictures of the life of one student and her family is painted with the colors of the Cultural Revolution and its costs--most importantly the loss of privacy, pride, and honor.
This book is truly a quick read that is hard to put down once you get started, but if you only have a short amount of time (even just one day) to read an excerpt from this short novel, your students will greatly benefit from the insight provided by this personal story and the moral dilemmas presented throughout the work. Even though it may seem that this book would best be used in a World History or World Cultures class, I am going to use it in my American History course as a contrast between the freedoms of democracy and dilemmas of dictatorships. There were only two parts that some teachers may wish to avoid: a detailed story on the effect of suicide (page 114) and a reference to the invasion of privacy and Ji-li’s sanitary belt (138). There is a detailed glossary that does an excellent job providing descriptions for terms and people referenced throughout the story which makes independent student reading more practical. There is also an excellent epilogue that may also be used as an introduction to the tale.

Jeff Sposito
Sharpsville High School
12th Grade Psychology
Book Review--Red Scarf Girl
Red Scarf Girl is a must read for any grade level from 6th grade and up. It was a clear picture of life during the Cultural Revolution. Children of any age level can watch the life of Ji Li-Jiang as it is slowly but radically altered during the whims of the Revolution.
It tells the story of Ji Li-Jiang and her family during the early parts of the Cultural Revolution. She was a very bright girl in “elementary” school with a very bright future. She was a true believer in Mao and of the revolutionary movement. She hated the “four olds” which were basically any ideas that could be construed as capitalistic in nature. As a believer, she took part in many events to celebrate socialism and Mao, and she was given awards and honors because she was very high achieving.
Unfortunately for Ji Li-Jiang, she had too ghosts from her past that haunted her: her father’s affiliations and her grandfather was an “evil” landlord before the revolution--a horrid, evil example of imperialism that was contrary to the revolution. Things went very well for Ji Li-Jiang at first. But much like our own society, her troubles started with rumors of her family’s past from a class mate. Much like being in a vice, her was affected slowly and steadily, getting tighter and tighter as each day passed by. It started off with some typical harsh words from jealous students. Then it progressed to Ji Li-Jiangs alienation from some of the party activities that she normally took part in. Eventually, it got so bad that her house was “searched” by the young revolutionary group. Her father was investigated and detained for questioning. Her aunt was publicly humiliated by having to sweep the streets and “admitting” her “guilt”. All the while, ming experienced cognitive dissonance that she found to be devastating: she thought of the revolution and Mao as almost God like, and yet she saw the devastating effects that the Cultural revolution had on her life.
The lessons that can be learned here are rich and very thought provoking. On the surface, it is an interesting history lesson of how the Cultural Revolution affected a person that many of our students can relate to, using powerful imagery. On on another level, it teaches a social lesson on the affects of rumors and bullying. At its deepest level, there is a very relatable lesson on how political correctness can destroy lives. The kids can see first hand how rumors can not only hurt one person, but destroy a family. They can see how a person who is different can be alienated so easily, and how things can spin out of control. Even worse, they can see how a regular person is targeted and labelled simply starting out as jealousy. They can see how witch hunts start. There can be a lot of areas of comparison through out history--the Salem Witch Trials, the Red Scares here in the US, the hyper political sensitivity and correctness of today in the US.
This could also provide some very interesting psychology lessons in the areas of motivation and emotion, i.e., with cognitive dissonance and Ji Li-Jiang’s conflicting beliefs between her love for her family versus her stalwart belief in the Revolution. It can be used when discussing personality formation and her struggles between her her ego (her reality) and her superego (her beliefs). This leads to her use of several defense mechanisms such as denial and repression, and the “changing” of her perceptions of reality. The list goes on.
The Red Scarf Girl is a definitely a powerful read for kids. It was certainly an easy read, with very powerful images and information that is easily relative to a preteen to teenager. I would recommend it without reservation.

In this autobiographical coming of age story, Ji Li is navigating a changing China both physically and emotionally. She is finishing primary school at the top of her class: a student to be admired when the Cultural Revolution sweeps through her world. All the things she was proud to be suddenly become wrong in the eyes of the Red Guard.
Caught off guard, she must learn to deal with the sudden change in her status to “black” and therefore becomes someone that is freely taunted and challenged. She watches her family and neighbor’s possessions confiscated and destroyed. Those who were of the lower class embrace the Revolution as a way to get back at those who they felt somehow wronged them and they use their power in harsh ways.
As Chairman Mao extolls his policies to the young and rewards those who follow him in rebelling against their parents and abolishing the “Four-Olds,” Ji Li who is always striving for excellence is caught up in the fever until she begins to realize that some of the new ideas are pointless and cruel. She learns that she cannot escape her love and loyalty to her family any more than she can make amends for the perceived sin of being the grandchild of a landlord. She briefly considers changing her name and denouncing her family, but runs at the last minute. She is asked to turn her father in for embracing the olds and being a black traitor but she finds that she cannot do it; even though she is assured that the Red Guard will reward her.
Although the book refers to the atrocities committed by the Red Guard, they are filtered through the eyes and memory of an adolescent. This makes the book appropriate for middle grade and older readers alike.

Review by Tim Jekel
High School History
World History I & II, Western Civilization, AP US History, AP European History
West Shore Christian Academy
We tell our students to study, work hard, and give it their best. This is normally good advice, but during the Cultural Revolution in China from 1966-1976 such advice was to no avail. The world was turned upside down. The bad kids were the good kids, the lazy kids were the successful kids, and bullying and disrespect were encouraged. The upside down world of China during those days is captured in the memoir of Ji-Li Jiang who was in school when China was turned upside down.
Ji-Li’s story, Red Scarf Girl, highlights the massive use of propaganda, the rigid discrimination based on a person’s political background, and the stresses of life in a family with a black mark in the eyes of the revolutionary state. Since Ji-Li’s grandparents were landlords, Ji and her entire family are labeled ‘Rightists’. Because of this, she loses her status as the best student in her class, class leadership, scholarship to a gymnastics/dance troupe. Indeed, she is even made to publicly denounce an aunt whose crime was nothing more than being successful and stylish.
Ji’s family deals with ever more severe trials as the years press on. Her parents are compelled to destroy all their family photographs for fear that they might reveal images of wealth that would be a problem for them. Their live in maid Song Po-po, an elderly woman who had worked for the family for years is let go in order to avoid political trouble for the family. Ji is denied entrance into the Red Guards. At one point, Ji witnesses an old man beaten to death while kneeling in a humiliating position. Ji’s father was arrested, relatives beaten to a pulp, and her entire educational future was sidetracked, and Red Guard thugs had ransacked their home stealing or destroying almost everything of value.
Despite the horrors she lives, Ji is a picture of hope and faithfulness. Eschewing the chance to advance herself by denouncing her parents, her faithfulness – indeed her filial piety – spoke a former ages in China where the family was the center of society and faithfulness to parents was the mark of morality and greatness. Thus, the story is actually a tribute to the strength of the human spirit in the face of stiff challenges.
The book is appropriate for grades 9-12 although I think it is best suited to 9th and 10th grades. I use the book in conjunction with Son of the Revolution in my unit on the Cultural Revolution. Boys read Son of the Revolution, and girls read Red Scarf Girl. Regular content quizzes that I created help ensure that students keep up with the reading which makes for much more interesting discussion. Since the book presents a school environment that is almost opposite of our own, the contrast makes for a good conversation. I have also used scenes from the film To Live with the book to illustrate some of the same themes and principles that appear in the book.
Red Scarf Girl is a well written narrative that also lends itself to written response. I do not teach literature but if I did I would surely include this work among those covering 20th Century East Asia.

Red scarf girl: a memoir of the Cultural Revolution
by Jiang, Ji-li
Review by Jo Shurer
Life could not have been better for Ji-li; it was 1966, she was twelve years old, at the top of her sixth-grade class, enjoyed the respect of her neighbors and friends, was embraced by the love of her family, and held the honor of being a Young Pioneer of the Communist Party, proudly wearing its emblem, a red scarf. Recognized for her agility, another honor was bestowed upon her; she was selected to audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. The possibility existed that she would tour the country as a performer, helping her beloved Chairman Mao, sharing all the good news of the New China. Basking in the glory of such an honor, her dreams diminished when her father, worried that she would not pass the political background investigation, afraid of the outcome, told her she could not audition.
The Cultural Revolution began in May of that year with every effort to rid China of the “Four Olds”: “old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits.” It was Chairman Mao’s belief that a new China could only emerge when these “olds” were extinguished. But this exciting future for China lay in the hands of young revolutionaries anxious to meet Chairman Mao’s expectations. Chaos ensued. Humiliation, torment and fear turned Ji-li’s world upside down. Ji-li could not escape her family’s bourgeoisie heritage. Her father imprisoned, Ji-li would eventually need to choose between the love for her family and the love of her country.
This is an engaging read. Enough information is provided through context to give the reader an understanding of the Cultural Revolution in China. A glossary is provided for easy access for depth of discussion and guided instruction. In addition to a social studies unit on Asian history, it would be an excellent tool to teach the methods and effects of propaganda to a middle school/junior high audience. (review submitted by Jo Shurer 5/31/10)

Review by Diana Gentile, Valley Middle School
The red scarf girl follows Ji Li, a bright girl with a bright future until the Cultural Revolution begins in China. Once her name is marred by the fact that her grandfather was a landlord, she slowly watches her life fall apart. Throughout the story, Ji Li watches helplessly as her chances of going to the school she’d always dreamed of slip away, her house is searched and ransacked by ‘authorities’, and her father is arrested. She eventually is faced with a decision between choosing her family or a chance at a successful future.
I teach 7th grade World History in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, and I think that this book would be a great addition to a history course for this age group. Topics of bullying, surviving in the face of adversity, and courage are always a welcome addition to the classroom setting. I feel that Ji Li gives a ‘face’ to the struggle of the Chinese people during the Cultural Revolution. I highly recommend this book!