Niang mistreated all of her stepchildren, but especially the rebellious Mah. In a Barnes and Noble online interview, Mah explained that 'the lowliest French citizen was higher than the mightiest Chinese Mandarin.' She believes that this is why she was dominated by her French stepmother all her life. Mah was considered bad luck because her mother died giving birth to her.īelieving their union would improve his social status, her father remarried a part-French woman, Jeanne, called Niang by the children.

Her great-aunt and role model founded the Shanghai Women's Bank in 1924, at a time when Chinese women's feet were still being bound. Her father Joseph was a millionaire when she was born. She was the fifth and youngest child of a wealthy Chinese family. Mah was born in Tianjin, a coastal city one thousand miles north of Shanghai. SIDELIGHTS: Adeline Yen Mah's autobiography Falling Leaves: A True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter is a modern-day Cinderella story complete with a wicked stepmother.

Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition, and Spiritual Wisdom (collection of essays), Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2001.Ī Thousand Pieces of Gold: My Discovery of China's Character in the History and Meaning of Its Proverbs, Harper ( San Francisco, CA), 2002.įalling Leaves has been translated into Chinese. Joseph (London, England), 1997, published as Falling Leaves: A True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, Wiley ( New York, NY), 1998.Ĭhinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter (adaptation of Falling Leaves), Delacorte Press ( New York, NY), 1998. West Anaheim Community Hospital, Anaheim, CA, anesthesiologist, 1968-94.įalling Leaves Return to Their Roots (autobiography), M. Agent- John Williams, Palmer & Dodge, One Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108-3190.ĬAREER: Writer. Hobbies and other interests: Medicine, herbs, cooking.ĪDDRESSES: Home-16835 Algonquin, #103, Huntington Beach, CA 92649. Ethnicity: 'Chinese.' Education: Attended University College, London, 1957 London Hospital Medical School, M.B.B.S., 1960 Royal College of Physicians, M.R.C.P., 1962. PERSONAL: Born November 30, 1937, in Tianjin, China daughter of Joseph (a trader) and Jeanne (stepmother maiden name Prosperi) Yen married Robert Mah (a professor), Decemchildren: Roger, Ann.

Adeline yen mah