Chinese Cinderella By Adaline Yen Mah

  Chinese Cinderella is a story about an unwanted girl that uses education and her love for literature as a way to escape her misery. After the death of her mother when giving birth to her, Adeline was dispised by her family. The only people who cared for her were her Aunt Baba and grandfather, YeYe. Her father then married another woman and had two other children, from the rest of his five children. Adeline's new step-mother, Niang is very cruel to her. There is often favoritism in their home for her step-siblings then the rest.
  Growing up in China during the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists really made it hard for Adeline. Her and her family would often move from city to city. Adeline would be left in boarding school and forgotten by her family often. She was always the head in her class and there she soon found her love in literature. She decides to enter an international play-writing contest competition held in England and dedicate her work to her YeYe. She was saddened by his death, but soon after rejoiced by the news of her winning in the competition. She regains honor from her father in which he allows her to pursue her education by attending college in England. This had been her life long dream for so long.

Quote:  (A letter from Aunt Baba) "Like Ye Xian, you have defied the odds and gathered triumph through your own efforts. Your future is limitless, and I shall always be proud of you, my

CHINESE CINDERELLA" (Mah, 197)

This quote refers to Ye Xian, the original Cinderella told through Chinese tales. Likewise to the story of Cinderella, Adeline "defied the odds" as said from her Aunt Baba, and found success when her life seemed to all go downhill.

*The story of Cinderella originated from China, NOT Europe.