Red Scarf Girl Characters

Our narrator and protagonist is only twelve when the Cultural Revolution starts, but she's in for the ride of a lifetime. Before the Revolution begins, Ji-li has an idyllic life: She's at the top o...

Mao Tse-tung was a real-life political leader during the Cultural Revolution in China. We don't actually get to meet him in the book (otherwise we'd be the happiest person in the world, at least ac...

Ji-li's dad is stubborn, noble, and proud, the kind of guy who sticks to his principles even when no one else thinks he should. Perhaps that's why he's a thorn in the Red Guards' side. He won't con...

Ji-li's mom seems very frail. Perhaps that's because she gets sick and faints a lot (diagnosis: Meniere's syndrome). Or maybe it's because she's really emotional—she worries a lot about her husba...

Ji-li's eleven-year-old brother (Ji-yong) and ten-year-old sister (Ji-yun) are in the background for most of the book. Much of the time, we get the sense that Ji-yong would rather play outside with...

Ji-li's grandma sounds exactly like our grandma—by which we mean she's loving, sassy, and not afraid to let her hair down once in a while. Since she lives with Ji-li's family, we get to see how a...

Ji-li's bestie goes through a tough time in the book. Since her mom is a teacher, she's getting the worst of the Red Guards' special punishments. As An Yi confides in Ji-li: "If Mom is a little lat...

Ji-li's classmate Chang Hong is kind, compassionate, and extremely dedicated to the cause. Even though her brother has epilepsy, Chang Hong would rather commit her time to the Red Guards than anyth...

Ji-li's family's housekeeper, Song Po-po is more than just a cleaning lady. She becomes important to the Jiangs and cares a lot about them. Eventually, they have to let her go because it's against...