Red Scarf Girl

Jiang reveals that she was born on the Chinese New Year and explains what her name means—“lucky” and “beautiful.” Up until 1966, when the Cultural Revolution began in China, she was, as her parents had hoped, “the happiest girl in the world (1). In 1966—“that fateful year” (1)—Ji-li was 12 years old, in sixth grade, and a true believer in herself, Chairman Mao, and the Communist Revolution. All that was about to change.

Chapter 1 opens in springtime and introduces 12-year-old Ji-li, who lives with her brother and sister, Ji-yong and Ji-yun, and her parents and grandmother in a nice neighborhood in Shanghai in the sunny and relatively spacious top room of a converted townhome. Her family is also lucky enough to have a private bathroom—most families have to share a bathroom with others. They also have a housekeeper, Song Po-po, who used to be the family’s nanny and lives below them in the building. The chapter also introduces Ji-li’s best friend, An Yi, and her school, Xin Er Primary School.

At school, Ji-li is chosen by a member of the Liberation Army to audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. She is thrilled about the opportunity, but her excitement is quickly dashed when her parents tell her she cannot audition.