Tianjin

When she was a child, Adeline and her family lived in a large house in the French concession of Tianjin, a port city of the northeast coast of China.

The Opium War

Many years before Adeline was born, China lost the Opium War against England and France, which resulted in many foreign soldiers occupying Chinese coastal cities like Tianjin, where the Yen family lived.

St. Joseph's French Convent School

St. Joseph's was where Adeline attended kindergarten. She returned there several years later when her stepmother wanted her to stay away from home and decided to enroll her in a boarding school.

Best Student Medals

Starting in kindergarten, Adeline began receiving best student of the week awards. She received many such awards over the years, much to the chagrin of her jealous siblings.

PLT

PLT, Precious Little Treasure, was a duckling and the only pet Adeline had as...