Mah, Adeline Yen (2015). Chinese Cinderella. London: Puffin Books. pp.160–161. ISBN 978-0-14-135941-0. OCLC 914452896. Everyone laughed, including Mother Marie. "And if you could have one wish granted, what would it be?" Yen Mah had an older sister called Lydia (Jun-pei) and three older brothers, Gregory (Zi-jie), Edgar (Zi-lin), and James (Zi-jun). [1] She has stated in Falling Leaves that she did not use the real names of her siblings and their spouses to protect their identities but she did, however, use the real names of her father, stepmother, aunt and husband, while referring to her paternal grandparents only by the Chinese terms 'Ye Ye' and 'Nai Nai'. [2]

Anyone who is an avid reader of fairy tales, or who has seen the 1950 Disney version of "Cinderella" has a hint as to what happens next. Though her meeting with her royal suiter does not occur here, Ye Xian is the star of the party, praised for her outstanding beauty and grace. But the presence of her stepfamily threatens her identity. When she fears they might have recognized her, she flees and leaves behind one of her valuable golden shoes. Ye Xian is mentally and physically juxtaposed with her stepsister Jun-li. While Jun-li is considered unpleasant to look upon and incredibly envious, Ye Xian is described as stereotypically beautiful and intelligent. Mah, Adeline Yen (1998). Falling leaves: the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter. New York: Wiley. pp.115–117. ISBN 978-0-585-36179-6. OCLC 47011622. Adeline Yen Mah's short biography, exploring her childhood experiences, meant to be read and inspired other readers. She wrote this book for teens and young kids to express her desire and sadness in the past while living with her stepmother, living without desire, loosing hopes and dreams and losing her rights as a child of his father. Ye Ye's relationship with his grandchildren is slight, except in the case of Adeline whom he views as "different." He supports her as best he can, telling Adeline that she has the talent to break out of her unfortunate cycle. In his later years, Ye Ye is visibly saddened by the state of his family and the behavior of his son. Aunt BabaJoseph is the father of Adeline and all of her siblings, referred to as "Father" throughout the novel. Affluent, intelligent, business savvy and ambitious, Father is seemingly ignorant of the feelings of others, particularly his children. Continually abandoning Adeline, ignoring the wishes of his own father, he appears to value only the opinion of his new wife Niang and an overwhelming drive to be materially successful.

Contrary to all logic, I had the uncanny sensation that Shakespeare had actually had my Ye Ye in mind when he wrote his immortal play four hundred years earlier.” Chinese Cinderella, p.168Amy Lai (2007). "Two Translations of the Chinese Cinderella Story". In: Perspectives 15:1, pp. 49-56. DOI: 10.2167/pst004.0 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

Mah, Adeline Yen (1998). Falling leaves: the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter. New York: Wiley. p.42. ISBN 978-0-585-36179-6. OCLC 47011622. At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exist countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained. Long before the Qin and Han Dynasty, in a village populated by non-Han people located somewhere in the southern area, their chief by the name of Wu had two wives by custom and a daughter by each of them. Ye Xian is Wu's daughter of one wife, and she is extremely beautiful, kind and gentle, and gifted in many skills such as pottery and poetry. In contrast, her half-sister Jun-Li is plain-looking, cruel and selfish, and both she and her mother, Wu's other wife Jin, envy the attention Wu lavishes upon Ye Xian. Ye Xian's mother died while she was still a baby, so Wu did all he could to raise his motherless daughter.Anyway, moving on that rant. I, for the most part, while I didn’t love it, I still managed to find it interesting and there were some fairly interesting moments. I would note that I do think some parts of the story could probably have been told better instead of being glossed over, especially as they clearly were important for Adeline. Her writing style is ok, I suppose would be the best way to put it. It’s not bad, but I didn’t find it to be amazing. Watanabe, Kôji (2000). "Ye-xian. Une Cendrillon chinoise du IXe siècle". Iris (in French). 19: 151–155.

Ye Ye expresses a level of insight that has been apparent within him for the entirety of the novel but never outwardly expressed until this instance. The quote expresses finality: regardless of all the effort or sweat that Adeline pours onto her goals, there are some inescapable truths that come with her birth. Perseverance is an admirable trait that Adeline exhibits throughout the novel, leading the reader to believe that anything can be overcome with faith and hard work. Ye Ye shows us that diligence doesn't destroy all barriers but rather that some must be first accepted to be overcome. My heart gave a giant lurch as it dawned on me that he was agreeing to let me go. How marvellous it was simply to be alive! Study? I thought. Going to England is like entering heaven. Does it matter what you do after you get to heaven?’ Ye Ye dies that year and Adeline attends his funeral. She is the only member of the family who cries at the loss. Niang also announces that Father will no longer pay for Adeline’s schooling after this term. Adeline falls into a heavy, anxious depression for several weeks. In the midst of this, however, Father’s chauffer takes her to discuss something with Father. She is initially fearful, but when she speaks with Father, he reveals that she has won the playwriting competition and brought Hong Kong and him great honor. As a reward, Father agrees to send Adeline to study in England with Third Brother, where she will study medicine. The first lines we hear from Big Sister set the tone of both the novel and the character. The blame that rests on Adeline from her birth prohibits any hope of an easy childhood; with her siblings believing that she brought about the end to their idyllic lives, she is in no position to convince them otherwise. The endless cycle of hate and bias has already begun, fed by any negative turns or disappointing results. Although this is brutally unfair, it--like being a daughter and being Chinese—is a part of realities that Adeline has no choice but to overcome.After some time, a merchant discovered the lost gold shoe and, realizing it’s worth, sold it to the King. The King wanted to find the owner of this tiny beautiful shoe, so he sent his soldiers to search the kingdom. They could find no one whose foot would fit into the shoe. He put it on display in an area near where it was found. All the women came to try on the shoe, but it didn’t fit. Then one night, Ye Xian slipped quietly across the pavilion and reclaimed her shoe, but the King’s men rushed out and arrested her.