Mei Li’s story opens in volume one.
China through the eyes of eleven-year-old Mei Li—from school, to the market, to home. Mei Li begins seeing her culture through her English teacher’s eyes, the American Missy. She finds herself exchanging Chinese ideas with the American and is both amused and shocked by her discoveries. When a classmate dies, she begins searching for eternal life, though everyone she knows tells her that death cannot be avoided. When her American teacher tells her that she has the cure for death, Mei Li begins making her family and friends uncomfortable by questioning what they believe. This in turn causes the adults, who understand that the people are not free to believe all that they want, to grow fearful of and for Mei Li. But Mei Li is unwilling to stop searching for the truth, vowing that someday she will discover how to live forever, like the Chinese symbol: the turtle. Mei Li’s story concludes in volume two. She is in a new school, a new grade (7th) and must learn new ways. With her parents working almost constantly now, Mei Li searches for friendship with their maid Sonja, an elderly neighbor Mrs. Wong, and with the Christians who meet secretly for church in the building where she now lives. She also makes friends with a boy in her class named Zhang Yi, who is from a good family. Once again she learns to know a foreign devil English teacher. Through it all she continues her search for eternal life. And finally she makes a decision that will last forever.
China through the eyes of eleven-year-old Mei Li—from school, to the market, to home. Mei Li begins seeing her culture through her English teacher’s eyes, the American Missy. She finds herself exchanging Chinese ideas with the American and is both amused and shocked by her discoveries. When a classmate dies, she begins searching for eternal life, though everyone she knows tells her that death cannot be avoided. When her American teacher tells her that she has the cure for death, Mei Li begins making her family and friends uncomfortable by questioning what they believe. This in turn causes the adults, who understand that the people are not free to believe all that they want, to grow fearful of and for Mei Li. But Mei Li is unwilling to stop searching for the truth, vowing that someday she will discover how to live forever, like the Chinese symbol: the turtle. Mei Li’s story concludes in volume two. She is in a new school, a new grade (7th) and must learn new ways. With her parents working almost constantly now, Mei Li searches for friendship with their maid Sonja, an elderly neighbor Mrs. Wong, and with the Christians who meet secretly for church in the building where she now lives. She also makes friends with a boy in her class named Zhang Yi, who is from a good family. Once again she learns to know a foreign devil English teacher. Through it all she continues her search for eternal life. And finally she makes a decision that will last forever.
