5 Memories of

Before you read

My Childhood

Which incident from your

childhood do you
remember very clearly?

Chinese Cinderella

An autobiography is a description of a person's

life that
written by person himself or herself
This extract is from the autobiography
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah.
Adeline was born in Tianjin, China in 1937.
She grew up to become both a successful
physician and an award-winning author.
This is a story from her childhood in her
own words.

At the time of my birth, Big Sister was

six-and-a-half years old. My three brothers
were five, four and three. They blamed me for
causing Mama's death and never forgave me.

A year later, Father remarried. Our stepmother, whom

What do you think
we called Niang. was a
seventeen-year-old Eurasian
the term "Eurasian
beauty fourteen his junior. Father always
years
introduced her to his friends as his "French wife" beauty" means?
she was actually half French and half Chinese. though
Besides
Chinese, she spoke French and English. She was almost
as
tall as Father, stood very
straight
and dressed only in French
clothes-many of which came from Paris. Her thick, wavy,
black hair never had a curl out of place. Her
large, dark-brown
eyes were fringed with long. thick lashes. She wore
heavy
fringed with: covered on the edge with

0
make-up, expensive French perfume and many diamonds
and pearls. It was told
Grandmother Nai Nai who to call
us

her Niang, another Chinese term for "mother".

A year after their wedding, they had a son

(Fourth
Brother) followed by a daughter (Little Sister). There were
now seven of us: five children from Father's irst wite and
two from our stepmother, Niang.

Apart from Father and Niang, we lived with Grandfather

Ye Ye, Grandmother Nai Nai and Aunt Baba in a big house
in the French Concession of Tianjin, a city port on the
north-east coast of China. Aunt Baba was our father's
Who are the
older sister. As she was meek, shy, unmarried and had
to take members
no money ot her own, my parents ordered her
in cot in her of the family?
care ot me. From an early age, I slept a

to
room. This suited me well because that way I grew
know her better and better. Perhaps inevitably, under the
circumstances, we came to love each other very deeply
and to share a life apart from the rest of the family.

a war (known as the

Many years ago, China had lost What are "coastal
France. As a result,
Opium War) against England and cities"?
coastal cities in China (such as Tianjin
and
many
to be occupied by foreign soldiers.
Shanghai) came

The conquerors parcelledout the best areas of these

treaty ports for themselves, claiming them as their

"concessions". Tianjin's French Concession
"territories" or
into the centre
was like little piece of Paris transplanted
a

w a s built in the French

of this big Chinese city. Our house
lifted from one of the
style and looked a s if it had been

treaty ports: Asian towns or cities with harbours

inevitably: naturally that were up to ater
00oupled by: taken control of by use of military
force opened foreign trade awar
or due fo milrtary pressure frorn other countries
paroelled out: divided into parts and
then distributed fransplanted: moved something to another place

S1
ocs ac oton vterratona i Phe L "**
 TTTT

tree-shaded avenues near the Eiffel Tower. Surrounded

by a charming garden, it had porches, balconies, bow
windows, awnings and a slanted tile roof. Across the What was the
street stood St Louis Catholic Boys' School, where the French-style
teachers were French missionaries. house like?
In December 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl
Harbor, the United States became involved in the
Second World War. Although Tianjin was
occupied by
porohes: covered shelfere in front of the entranee awnings: sheets of canuas or other such materias
io buildinge fhat are stretched on frames placed above windou
or
dooruway to keep the sun or rain oft
 the Japanese, the French Concession continued to What were the
be governed by French officials. French policemen
strutted about looking important and barking out French policemen
like?
orders in their own language, which they
everyone to understand and obey. expected
-Adeline Yen Mah

After you read B

What kind of childhood do
you think Adeline had? Do you think it was
a happy one?
Why or why not?

( Reading Comprehension
A. Answer the following questions.
Who did Adeline's father remarry and how old was she?

2. What did Niang look like? Describe her in brief.

5. How many children did Adeline's father and Niang have?

Who was Adeline close to? Why?
4
soldiers stationed in large numbers in many of
5. Why were foreign
China's coastal cities?

Tianjin look like?

6. What did Adeline's house in
took place in December 1941?
7. What major world event
event have on Tianjin?
8. What efect did the
extract is powerful? Give
tirst paragraph of the
9 Do you think the
tor your answer.
reasons

Adeline's mother have on Adeline

death of
10. What effect did the
and her family?
in foreeful marnner
barking out: shouting out
a
so
strutted: walked in a stiff and erect way
as to look important
53
B. Find words and phrases that
use them to label the describe Aunt Baba in Paragraph 4 and
illustration.

Aunt Baba
Baba? Add
What other words c a n you think of to describe Aunt
a
C.
B.
few of them to the illustration in Question

of Aunt Baba using some of the words in

D. Write a brief description
the following aspects.
your list. Focus
on

Her position in the family

.
towards her
2. Adeline's parents' attitude
with Adeline
3. Her relationship

the table. They are synonyms

in
words listed
E. Read the describing in the extract from
Chinese
words used
describing
of s o m e of the in the extract and write
them next to
the synonyms
Cinderella. Find numbers will help you.
words. The paragraph
correct describing
the

55
T7Stea: t3ucno
 house was built in the French style
1. Why do you think Adeline's family
the French policemen?
12. How does Adeline feel about

born, she was blamed for her mother's death.

13. When Adeline was

been blamed similarly if she had been

Do you think she would have
Give r e a s o n s tor your answer.
born in the present time?

Sequencing. Number the sentences in

B. Check your understanding of
the correct order.

1. Niang gave birth to two children.

Niang was a young Eurasian beauty.

Adeline was born.

Adeline's father remarried a year later.

5. Adeline's mother passed away

Vocabulary
Many coastal cities in China came to occupied by foreign soldiers.
Our house had a charming garden and a slanted roof.
Some words are used to describe people., places, animals and things. They add
details to a story and make it more interesting.

A. Find words used to describe Niang in Paragraph 2. Write them down

next to the items they describe in the table given below.

Item
Describing word
hair
eyes
eyelashes
make-up
perrume

54 cX17choantc E3.caton tematona 1 Pte itd ca8