Red Scarf Girl is a historical memoir written by Ji-li Jiang about her experiences during the Cultural Revolution of China, with a foreword by David Henry Hwang.

However, her father prevents her from auditioning for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy due to their political status, which she had no knowledge of at the time.

This book describes her experiences with the Cultural Revolution, including being betrayed by her classmates, helping to destroy the Four Olds, attempting to become a Red Guard and the constant terror of arrest.

The Campaign Against the "Four Olds" is illustrated when she, her younger brother and sister, her friends, and her classmates watch as a crowd tears down a "superstitious" store sign and enthusiastically destroys it.

One day, she sees a da-zi-bao implying she has a relationship with a male teacher, and her parents tell her to stay at home to avoid embarrassment.

The summer starts off a bit disappointing for Ji-li because graduation tests are terminated, but she then finds out that she is going to Shi-yi Junior High School because of her teachers' recommendations.

When the Red Guards come to search their house for an incriminating letter and evidence of their luxurious, "bourgeois" lifestyle and exploitation of others, they destroy and take away many of their belongings.

Publishers Weekly stated that the book's "clarity" is not inhibited by its "passionate tone", and that using non-overt ways to criticize political corruption and authoritarianism was an astute technique.

"[3] Cindy Kane of Common Sense Media recommended the book for persons ages twelve and older and ranked it four of five stars.