Jili

Ji-Li very much wanted to become a Red Successor. A Red Successor is a student who would become a Red Guard in the future. (Red Guards were high school or college students that enforced laws and helped destroy the Four Olds) (for more information see book summary—Destroying the Four Olds). But because her grandfather was a landlord and her father is said to be a rightist (someone who disagrees with, or opposes the Communist Party), people start to humiliate her at school and they will not let her become what she wants to be- a Red Successor and a Liberation Army Dancer. She loves her family so much that when she tries to change her name so the landlord she had as a grandfather would not be associated with her, she is unable to go through with it. People do not elect her to become a Red Successor, and her father tells her she can’t audition to become a Liberation Army Dancer, in case her family’s background is revealed.
 * __Ji-li -__** In the story Red Scarf Girl, The Cultural Revolution is just beginning. A 12 year old girl sits in a stuffy old school room in Shanghai, China. She dreams of becoming a Liberation Army Soldier. This girl is Jiang Ji-Li. She was born on the Chinese New Year, and her name means ‘lucky and beautiful’. She is very smart and used to be the da-dui-zhang (the Chinese equivalent of the head of the student council, the most powerful student in the school). Despite her academic achievements, she is held back by her class status. In Communist China, all landlords, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries (somewhat of a rebel, a person who fights against the Communist Party), criminals and rightists were considered black (the opposite of red, the color of Communism). Members of “black” families were persecuted, and were not allowed to do certain things such as becoming a red guard, or being able to participate in certain things at school. They were also humiliated in public, one of the worst punishments.

Ji-li is brave, determined, and smart. At times she is unsure of herself. She also cares a lot about what other people think of her, as many do. Ji-Li struggles throughout most of the book, debating with herself whether she should stay with her family or leave them and attempt to become a Red Guard (knowing that with her great skills and education she would be a perfect match without her black class status). Ji-li's classmates pressure her to become a part of the Red side. Her determination and courage help her stay true to her family and deal with all the terrible criticism of her everyday life.

Jiang Ji Li was a girl who lived in China during the Cultural Revolution. She was the main character of the book Red Scarf Girl. She was born into a “black” family, but had not affected her lifestyle until now- she did not even know that her grandfather had a black class status. She first realized that China was changing when a woman from the Liberation Army came to her school and wanted her to join the Liberation Army. Jiang Ji Li was a very good and honorable student. She worked very hard in school, but she knew that family came before honor & country towards the end of the book. Her best friend’s name was An Yi. In one part of the book all of the students were making da-zi-baos about the teachers. Some students decided to write one about her. In another part of the book she was tempted to betray her family and become a good revolutionist. When trying to figure out the future, an old trick foretold that there would be some good and some bad. It turned out that there was a lot of bad, but still some good in the end. In the end it was said that the people of China thought that the revolution was good. It was said that is was as if the people were “brainwashed”. Even though the revolution turned Jiang Ji Li’s world upside down, she still supported Chairman Mao. But in the end she still learned something from this experience.