Post A, Chines Cinderella

A main reason I chose the book Chinese Cinderella, was because I really didn’t know much about the Chinese culture. After reading a few chapters I have learned a lot about what was going on in China around the 1940s, and some main traditions in their culture.

First of all, I thought it was interesting how extended family all lived together. Their grandma, their grandpa, their aunt, their parents and many children all lived in the same house, and lived like one family, always eating together. Adeline’s family was very rich and also had many servants, cooks, and other help at their house too.

Another cultural difference is the binding of a woman’s feet. Although Adeline did not have her feet bound when she was born because it was banned, her Grandmother Nai Nai’s feet were. In China people believed that having small feet is beautiful, no matter the pain. For the rest of her life, Nai Nai had arthritis because of her bound feet, and could barely walk.

China in the 1940s is under Japanese rule, and Adeline’s family was affected along with many others. Adeline lost family members to the strict Japanese soldiers. Everyone in China had to be very careful what they said and did not to disrespect the Japanese. For example, “Once Big Brother’s friend was kicked and slapped by a Japanese soldier because he forgot to bow when he ran past. That morning, Ye Ye had stopped Third Brother from kicking a paper ball made of old newspapers because a photo of the Japanese emperor was visible on its surface” (pg 16).

Overall, the Chinese culture, and political situations in this time period and now, are very different that how we live.