Chinese Cinderella: The Mystery of the Song Dynasty Painting facts for kids

Chinese Cinderella: The Mystery of the Song Dynasty Painting is an exciting book by the Chinese American author Adeline Yen Mah. She is also famous for her books Chinese Cinderella and Falling Leaves, which have sold millions of copies! This book, published in 2009, continues the fictional story from Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. It's a mystery that takes you back in time to ancient China.

What is This Book About?

This book follows the adventures of a girl named Ye Xian, also known as CC. She experiences a strange event that leads her on a journey into the past.

A Mysterious Fall

One day, while out with her friend David, CC is followed by a mysterious woman. Feeling scared, CC tries to get away by climbing onto a slippery roof. She falls and gets hurt, then faints. David quickly takes her to a clinic. Even though her injury is minor, CC starts having headaches and strange, vivid dreams. She also becomes very interested in a famous Chinese painting called Along The River at Qing Ming.

To help her, CC's Grandma Wu arranges for her to see a doctor. The doctor uses a special kind of therapy to help CC understand her dreams. During this therapy, CC seems to become a different person. She starts telling a story from more than 800 years ago, during the time of the Song Dynasty in China.

Journey to the Past: The Song Dynasty

CC's story takes us back in time to the life of Zhang Mei Lan (张美兰). Mei Lan is the daughter of a rich official. She lives with her older brother, Zhang Zeduan (张择端), who she calls "Gege," their father, and their stepmother, "Niang," in a city called Bian Liang.

Ah Li's Amazing Talent

One day, Mei Lan's father hires a poor orphan boy named Ah Li to help in the garden. Ah Li is very good at carving jade. Mei Lan and Gege quickly become friends with Ah Li, even though their families are very different. They soon discover that Ah Li has an amazing talent for drawing and painting nature. Even though he can't read or write, his shufa (书法), or handwriting, is better than Gege's!

Mei Lan and Gege tell their father about Ah Li's special skills. Ah Li gets a big chance when the Song emperor, Emperor Huizong, asks him to carve a jade dog for his birthday. The emperor was born in the Year of the Dog. The emperor is so impressed with Ah Li's work that he gives him silver and allows him to use the royal family name, "Zhao." From then on, Ah Li is called Ah Zhao.

A Special Painting and a Big Decision

Meanwhile, Mei Lan's stepmother, Niang, wants Mei Lan to marry and follow old traditions, which Mei Lan doesn't want to do. Mei Lan manages to avoid some of these traditions. Later, the children go to the Qingming Festival together. There, Ah Zhao and Gege get an idea for a painting that would show everything happening at once, like a perfect, frozen moment in time.

Ah Zhao's talent shines again when he paints a dragon rock for Mei Lan and Zeduan's father's birthday. Emperor Huizong sees this painting and decides he wants Ah Zhao to work for him as an artist. The emperor also takes ownership of the painting and names it Xiang Long Shi (祥龙石). Knowing that the emperor won't take no for an answer, Ah Zhao decides to run away. Mei Lan and Gege help him. Before he leaves, Ah Zhao promises Mei Lan he will meet her by the bridge on the night of the Qingming Festival in three years.

A Promise and a Changed Brother

Three years pass. Gege is getting ready to work for the palace as an official. He misses Ah Zhao, but he also feels a bit jealous because he can't paint or write as well as Ah Zhao. Mei Lan also notices that her brother is changing. He is becoming more obedient to the rules of Chinese society and is not supporting her as he used to.

As the Qingming Festival gets closer, Mei Lan plans to run away to avoid the marriage her family wants for her. Before the day she plans to leave, Ah Zhao sends two special boxes to the siblings. The box for Gege holds the finished painting of Along The River at Qing Ming. The box for Mei Lan contains an unfinished painting and a poem about their shared imperfections. It also has a note telling her to "Be careful."

Puzzled by the note, Mei Lan goes to meet Ah Zhao as planned. But her brother, Gege, stops her. He tells her to come home, saying, "it's our little secret." Mei Lan realizes her brother is no longer himself. She tries to escape by jumping from the roof where she was meeting Ah Zhao, but she slips and falls.

Back to the Present

After this, the memories stop. Grandma Wu explains that CC might have lived this story in a past life. The good news is that CC is now cured and can return home, free from her headaches and strange dreams.