Who is Ji-li Jiang from Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution and what is their importance?

Ji-li Jiang is born on the Chinese New Year in 1954. Her name means Lucky and beautiful and her parents gave her that name because they wanted her to be the happiest girl in the world. She was happy until she was selected to audition for a dance training class at the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy and her father tells her she can't because her family can't pass the political background investigation.