Red Scarf Girl is a historical memoir written by Ji-li Jiang about her experiences during the Cultural Revolution of China, with a foreword by David Henry Hwang.
Ji-li Jiang was very important in her classroom and was respected until 1966 when the Cultural Revolution started.
In Red Scarf Girl, Ji-li was at the top of her class and the da-dui-zhang, or Student Council President, of her school. However, her father prevents her from auditioning for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy due to their political status, which she had no knowledge of at the time. Her family is considered a "Black Family," because her grandfather was a landlord and her father was considered a "rightist", though her father reassured her that he is not. Many people accuse Ji-li of her family's old ways, or "Four Olds" and the "Five Black Categories" that Chairman Mao Zedong protests against. Ji-li must deal with the difficult choice between her educational and political future or her family. This book describes her experiences with the Cultural Revolution, including being betrayed by her classmates, helping to destroy the Four Olds, attempting to become a Red Guard and the constant terror of arrest. Though, towards the end, Jiang Ji-li realizes that her goals no longer define her but rather her responsibilities.
