Mystery Writer, Ji Li Jiang
Interviewed by Jana McBurney-Lin

Ji Li Jiang, is the author of two books :The Red Scarf Girl, Harper Collins 1997 and Magical Monkey King, Mischief in Heaven, Harper Collins 2002.

The Red Scarf Girl is an autobiographical account of growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. During the Cultural Revolution, it is estimated that 10 million people were injured and between 1-4 million people died. For Jiang, however, the Cultural Revolution was not only a time of physical injury and death, but of spiritual annihilation.

At the time, she was one of the top elementary school students in her community. Yet her school career, her whole life, took a deep nose-dive when the Cultural Revolution began….all because of her family background. Her father, a well-known actor (considered a bourgeoisie profession during the Cultural Revolution), was put under investigation and labeled a monster. Her grandfather was also considered “black”, as he had been a landowner.

Jiang had to deal with the pain that came from her father’s detentions (“We didn’t know from day to day if he was still alive.”)

She had to work through the misery of watching her grandmother being punished as the widow of her “black” landowner grandfather.

But, more than all of that, she had to decide—at age 12—how important her family was to her.

She was asked by revolutionaries to denounce her father. If she did, she would be welcomed into the Communist Party with open arms. If she didn’t, well, there must be some reason why she wouldn’t…..and she would be put under investigation, as well.

Jiang’s personal struggle is the subject of her book, which has won over a dozen awards, including 1998 Notable Children’s Books Award, 1998 Best Books for Young Adults Award , and 1998 Parents Choice Gold Award.

Q. When did you come to America?.

A . “In 1984. A relative in Hong Kong sponsored me. I spent the first 11 years in Hawaii. Lived for a year in Chicago. In 1996, I moved to Northern, CA.

Q. What was it like, being in America? Did you feel any culture shock?

A . When I first arrived, I didn’t speak any English. I had taken classes—night classes—in China, but those just taught grammar and reading. There was no oral training. I remember, just asking, “Where is the university library?” was difficult. I felt handicapped.

That first year, I took a tape recorder to class and taped the lessons. The problem was that even listening to the tape, I didn’t understand what was being said. So, I asked four friends from my Chinese study group to help me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t their class and they couldn’t understand, either.

Q. Anything else?

A . “In China, we were told to do things. I didn’t need to make decisions. In America, I needed to make decisions every minute. The freedom was great, but it was overwhelming.”

Q. When did you start writing down your experiences?

A . After graduation, I worked for a large hotel chain in Hawaii. I got promoted into management and, at one point, was in charge of the budget for 20 hotels. Still, the memories of the Cultural Revolution followed me….they were so powerful and so painful. I started writing them down in Chinese on small pieces of paper. I filed them in the order in which they happened.

Then, in one place, where I did a homestay, the woman gave me a book by Anne Frank. Inside the cover, the woman wrote, “In the hope that someday we will read the diary of Ji Li Jiang.”

I thought about writing for a long time. I wondered what purpose there would be. I decided there were three reasons why I should write my story:

I thought writing might prevent something so horrible from happening again.

Also, when I came to America, I was shocked by the beautiful life. I thought if I shared my story, perhaps Americans might appreciate their life more.

And, I realized that, while Americans don’t have Mao’s Cultural Revolution, they have their own struggles to deal with: guns, drugs, sex. So, I thought that children might be able to gain a bit of courage from my story, and learn not to just yield to pressure.

So, I started. I worked on the book every night from 8pm-midnight. In a year, I’d finished the first draft.

Q. What did you do with your first draft?

A . I went to the library and found Writer’s Market. I wrote to two dozen of the biggest publishing houses. I was rejected by every one of them.

I guess, I hadn’t really looked to see what kind of books they published, so some of the rejections came back saying, ‘We only publish text books.’ Still, a fourth of the replies—while rejections-- said, “Your story was compelling, but shorten it.”

Instead, I took a break—for five years. I found a native speaker of English to help me edit it. And, the next time I sent out the manuscript, I got three offers. All from big houses.

Q. Did writing the book help get rid of some of the pain?

A . After the book was published, some of those memories faded out. They didn’t come back so frequently and so painfully.

Q. How did you get started working on the Monkey King story?

A . I always felt it a pity that this famous and interesting story was not known by American children. When Avi, a well-known children's book writer, contacted me and asked if I had a story for his "Breakfast Serials" newspaper syndication, I immediately thought of the Monkey King story. It’s a wonderful story and I wasn’t surprised that it was well received. Many children would anxiously wait for their newspaper to arrive each week. If they missed a paper, they would call to report it.

Q. How did it go from a newspaper syndication to a book? Was it easier or harder to get a publisher?

A . After the story was published in over 100 newspapers, I talked to Harper about turning it into a book. It all happened quite naturally.

Q. What project are you working on now?

A . I’m working on a book about children sent down to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. This subject is close to my heart, as my brother, Jiyong, was sent to the countryside for five years in 1973. He was 19 at the time. He was in charge of taking care of the cows and working in the kitchen. My father was also sent to the countryside.

For more information about Ji-Li Jiang, her books, and the school book tours she gives, visit her website www.jilijiang.com