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Uncle Fan Wen-chong
Song Po-po is a friend and onetime helper of the Jiang family. Before the Chinese Communist Party took over, she was married to a businessman. But he died by suicide after his business failed, and Song Po-po had to use the last of their savings to pay off their debts. At that time, she became a housekeeper. Eventually, she began to work for Mom and Dad, first as a nanny to Ji-li, Ji-yong, and Ji-yun. After they started going to school, she remained with the family as a housekeeper. Ji-li feels that this arrangement is exploitative, but Song Po-po seems sad rather than happy when the Cultural Revolution forces Mom and Dad to end her employment. She lives downstairs from the family and continues to support them through their trials.
Song Po-po Quotes in Red Scarf Girl
The Red Scarf Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Song Po-po or refer to Song Po-po. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Liberation Army Dancer
Quotes
Song Po-po told us that our extended family used to occupy two whole buildings, ten rooms all together. “Then they all moved away, and only your family and your Fourth Aunt’s family were left. Your family only has one room now. It’s just too bad.” She shook her head sadly.
But I didn’t feel that way at all. I loved our top floor room. […] Our room was ten times as big as many of my classmates’ homes, and a hundred times brighter. Best of all, we had a private bathroom, a full-sized room with a sink, a toilet, and a tub. It was almost as large as some families’ entire homes. Many did not have a bathroom at all, or even a flush toilet, and very few had a full-size bathroom that they did not have to share with other families.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Red Scarf Girl LitChart as a printable PDF.
Song Po-po Quotes in Red Scarf Girl
The Red Scarf Girl quotes below are all either spoken by Song Po-po or refer to Song Po-po. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: The Liberation Army Dancer
Quotes
Song Po-po told us that our extended family used to occupy two whole buildings, ten rooms all together. “Then they all moved away, and only your family and your Fourth Aunt’s family were left. Your family only has one room now. It’s just too bad.” She shook her head sadly.
But I didn’t feel that way at all. I loved our top floor room. […] Our room was ten times as big as many of my classmates’ homes, and a hundred times brighter. Best of all, we had a private bathroom, a full-sized room with a sink, a toilet, and a tub. It was almost as large as some families’ entire homes. Many did not have a bathroom at all, or even a flush toilet, and very few had a full-size bathroom that they did not have to share with other families.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
