Read Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society Page 18


  The real names of the US airmen were used in this book. However, in order to maintain the flow of the narrative, I took certain liberties with the time frame as well as ages and the eventual fate of the captives.

  In actuality none of the US crewmen escaped from prison. After their capture, they were first taken to Tokyo before being sent back to China and incarcerated in Bridge House. One died of malnutrition in prison and three were executed as described. The letters quoted in the chapter tided ‘Last Letters’ are authentic and came from the pens of Dean Hallmark, Bill Farrow and Harold Spatz just before they died.

  In August 1945, Japan lost the war and surrendered unconditionally to the allies. The four captured US crewmen who survived their imprisonment were released. One of the four, Jake DeShazer, became a missionary and returned to Japan where he spent thirty years of his life (1948-78).

  Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is an attempt on the part of one Chinese-American writer to inform the world of the horrors of war.

  The Chinese Zodiac

  Legend has it the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac were chosen by Buddha. Adeline explains all about it in Chapter Two of this book. The Chinese New Year is between late January and early February and this is when the next animal year starts.

  One polite way of finding out someone’s age in China is to ask that person, ‘Under which animal sign were you born?’ If she says, ‘Ox,’ you’ll know that she was born in either 1985 or 1997. If she says, ‘Rat,’ you’ll know that she was born in 1984 or 1996… and so on. Find the year of your birth on the chart to discover which animal sign you are, and some of your characteristics!

  The Year of the Rat (1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008)

  You are imaginative, charming and generous. You have big ambitions, work hard to achieve your goals and are a perfectionist. You tend to be quick-tempered and can be critical of others. You get along well with Dragons, Monkeys and Oxen.

  The Year of the Ox (1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009)

  You are a born leader and inspire confidence in others. You are methodical and skilled with your hands. Although generally easy-going, you can be stubborn and hot-tempered. You are most compatible with Snakes, Roosters and Rats.

  The Year of the Tiger (1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010)

  You are sensitive, emotional and loving. You are a deep-thinker, carefree and courageous. But you can be short-tempered and often come into conflict with people in authority. You find it hard to make your mind up and then make hasty decisions. You get along well with Horses, Dragons and Dogs.

  The Year of the Rabbit (1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011)

  You are talented and affectionate, and admired and trusted by others. You like to gossip, but are nonetheless tactful and kind. You are wise and even-tempered, and tend not to take risks. You are compatible with Goats, Pigs and Dogs.

  The Year of the Dragon (1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012)

  You are energetic, popular and fun-loving. You are also honest, sensitive and brave. You appear stubborn, but are soft-hearted and sensitive on the inside. You are compatible with Rats, Snakes, Monkeys and Roosters.

  The Year of the Snake (1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 2001, 2013)

  You are a deep-thinker and very wise. You are sympathetic and try to help those less fortunate, but sometimes you can be quite selfish. Although you are calm on the surface, you are intense and determined in whatever you do. If you are a Snake you are most compatible with the Ox and Rooster.

  The Year of the Horse (1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)

  You are popular, quick-witted and adventurous. You are hard-working and very independent. You are wise and perceptive, but can be impatient and selfish sometimes. You get along with Tigers, Dogs and Goats.

  The Year of the Goat (1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015)

  You are creative, artistic and warm-hearted, and timid by nature. You are also gentle and compassionate. You strongly believe in what you do, but you can be pessimistic. You are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs and Horses.

  The Year of the Monkey (1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016)

  You are clever, skilful and lots of fun. You are well-liked and make friends easily, but sometimes can’t be trusted. You are strong-willed, good at making decisions and want to get on with things straight away. If you can’t, you quickly become despondent. Monkeys get along with Dragons and Rats.

  The Year of the Rooster (1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017)

  You are hard-working, capable and talented. You like to be busy, are devoted to work and skilled at what you do. You are good at making decisions. You are a little eccentric, outspoken and sometimes selfish. Roosters are compatible with Ox, Snakes and Dragons.

  The Year of the Dog (1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018)

  You are born to succeed. You are loyal, honest and intelligent, and inspire confidence in others. You can be sharp-tongued and stubborn, and tend to worry too much. You are compatible with Horses, Tigers and Rabbits.

  The Year of the Pig (1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019)

  You are honest, reliable and extremely loyal. You are quick-tempered, but you don’t like to argue. You are kind to those you love and make a good companion. You like to set yourself goals and carry them out, but you can be too impulsive sometimes. Pigs will get along with Rabbits and Goats.

  Glossary of Chinese Words

  Family, names and places:

  Ah Sun

  a maid at CC s home

  Ah Tee

  CC’s wet nurse

  Chiang Kai-shek

  Chinese Nationalist leader

  Da Ma

  the homing pigeon

  da ge

  Big Brother

  Da-wei

  David

  er ge

  Second Older Brother

  Fu Dao

  (Way) of Buddha

  gan ma ma

  godmother

  Grandma Liu

  Big Aunt’s godmother

  Li Cha

  Charlie

  Ling Ling

  David’s dolphin

  Long Xia Hui

  Dragon Society of Wandering Knights

  Liu Nai Nai

  Grandma Wu’s neighbour

  Master CY Wu

  Grandma Wu’s son

  Mei Mei

  Master Wu’s panda

  Nan Tian Dao

  Nan Tian Island

  Niu Zhou Shan

  Cow Continent Mountain

  san ge

  Third Older Brother

  Tai-ji Tu

  Diagram of the Grand Ultimate

  Wu Nai Nai

  Grandma Wu

  Wu Shu Xue Shiao

  Martial Arts Academy

  xiao bao bei

  precious litle treasure

  xiao mei

  Little Sister

  Ye Jia-Lin

  CC’s father

  Ye Jia-ming

  Big Aunt

  Ye Ye

  grandfather

  Ye Xian

  CC

  Yi Jing

  Book of Changes

  Sayings:

  bai zhe bu nao

  stick to your goal despite a hundred setbacks

  Chu sui san hu, wang Qin bi Chu

  Even if there are but three families left in Chu, the Qin empire will be toppled by someone from Chu.

  tong gan gong ku

  share bitter and sweet together

  suo xiang wu di

  irresistible force that is unconquerable

  tong zhou gong ji

  stick together through thick and thin

  yin shui si yuan

  when drinking water, remember the source

  yu su bu da

 
more haste, less speed

  zi qiang bu xi

  motivate yourself to study hard and be strong always

  Words and phrases:

  bao

  buns filled with cabbage and minced pork

  chan

  zen/deep meditation

  chu shen ru hua

  uncanny skill that is almost supernatural

  dyana or chan

  meditation

  en ren

  benefactors

  gong fu

  time, effort, skill

  gu yi

  the past

  Gu Yi He

  Memory Vision Box

  gua

  divine emblem

  gun shui

  rolling water (water that has been boiled)

  jiang hu

  rivers and lakes

  jiao

  religion/to teach

  kai shui

  opened water (water that has been boiled)

  kung fu

  mastery of a difficult task

  mah-jong

  played with pieces called ‘tiles’

  Ni hau

  How are you?

  qi

  energy/life force

  shou zu

  hands and feet

  Tao

  The Way

  suo xiang wu di

  irresistible force that is unconquerable

  t’ai chi quan

  martial art/meditative exercises/shadow-boxing

  tong ren

  like-minded people

  wei ai

  the future

  Wei Lai He

  Future Vision Box

  wu

  mindful awareness

  wu shu

  martial arts

  xiao

  respect for elders

  yang

  forces that regulate the universe: male energy (positive, bright, warm)

  yin

  forces that regulate the universe: female energy (negative, dark, cool)

  you xia

  wandering knights/historical heroes

  yuan fen

  predestined affinity

  za zkong

  mixed race, bastard, son of a bitch

  Bibliography

  Map of Shanghai, 1940: from Hugh Collar’s book Captive in Shanghai (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1990).

  Regarding the last letters from Farrow, Hallmark and Spatz, please read:

  Glines, Carroll V., Four Came Home (Princeton: D. Van Nostrand, 1966).

  Watson, C. H., DeShazer, The Doolittle Raider Who Turned Missionary (Winona Lake, Indiana: light and life Press, 1950).

  Other books:

  Bergamini, David, Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy (New York: William Morris, 1971).

  Lawson, T. W., Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (New York: Random House, 1943).

  National Archives, International Military Tribunal, Far East RG 331.

  Rosten, Leo, the quote on pages 236-7 is taken from Infinite Riches (New York: McGraw Hill, 1979).

  Schultz, Duane, The Doolittle Raid (New York: St Martin’s Press, 1988).

  Wasserstein, Bernard, Secret War in Shanghai (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998).

  For more information about the USS Hornet visit www.uss-hornet.org

  * On 10 June 1942, the Nazis destroyed the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia after the Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated. They killed 172 men and boys, and sent all the women and children to concentration camps where most of them died.

 


 

  Adeline Yen Mah, Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

 


 

 
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