Di in Daughters of Shandong: Character Analysis

Overview

Di, the second daughter of the Ang family, is one of the most complex figures in Daughters of Shandong. Where her older sister Hai is dutiful and family-oriented, Di is headstrong, independent, and relentlessly pragmatic. Her name—which means “Brother”—marks her as a constant reminder of what her father wished for most: a son. Throughout the novel, Di’s fierce independence both sustains her through unimaginable hardship and isolates her from the family she loves. She is the sister who embraces Communist rhetoric in Qingdao, who resists the family’s flight at nearly every turn, and who ultimately makes her own choices—including a marriage arranged by her father that she accepts without protest.

Plot Role

Di serves as a foil to Hai throughout the novel. Where Hai is the dutiful eldest daughter who shields her mother and cares for her sisters, Di is the questioner, the resister, the one who refuses to accept the family’s decisions without a fight. Her role shifts as the novel progresses: in the early chapters she is a minor presence, a child among three daughters; in the middle sections she becomes a source of conflict within the family, particularly over the question of whether to flee to Taiwan; and in the later chapters she emerges as a tragic figure whose independence has come at a terrible cost.

Di’s resistance to the family’s plans is not merely stubbornness—it is rooted in a clear-eyed assessment of what returning to the Ang family would mean for her. When the family receives Uncle Jian’s letter offering entry permits to Taiwan, Di tries to tear it up, arguing that they are doing better in Hong Kong and don’t need the Angs anymore. She tells her mother she would rather make matchboxes and eat garbage for the rest of her life than live with Father and Nai Nai again, because at least then she would have her dignity. This is not idle defiance; it is a calculated refusal to return to a family that has already abandoned them once.

Motivations and Traits

Di’s core motivation is freedom—freedom from the Ang family’s expectations, from patriarchal control, from being treated as disposable. This manifests in several ways throughout the novel.

Pragmatism and adaptability. Di is consistently the most adaptable member of the family. In Qingdao, she absorbs the cadres’ speeches and becomes convinced the family should remain, arguing with her mother about their future. She ventures into the Villa District, forming relationships with restaurant owners who give her free meals. She learns Cantonese and English in Hong Kong and finds work washing dishes. When Hai marvels at her linguistic ability, Di shrugs it off—she simply adapts to survive.

Fierce independence. Di’s independence is her defining trait. She refuses to visit Cousin Wei, predicting he will be jailed. She resists the move to Rennie’s Mill, arguing she cannot earn money there. She tells Hai that all girls are disposable—a statement that reveals the deep wound at the center of her character. Her name, meaning “Brother,” is a constant reminder of what her father wished for most.

Emotional armor. Hai observes that Di had become an iron rod, trading her soulful voice for a suit of armor. Di’s toughness is a survival mechanism, but it also creates distance between her and the rest of the family. Hai reflects that Di’s independence was her strength, but it also created distance between them.

Chronological Arc

Di’s arc spans from childhood in Zhucheng through the refugee journey to Taiwan and into adulthood.

Zhucheng (Chapters 1–8). Di appears as one of three daughters in the Ang family, a child among girls who are all disappointments to their grandmother. When the family flees Zhucheng, Di remains with her mother and sisters. In the shed, Di secretly drinks a raw egg stolen from the Zhangs’ chickens, and her poor cooking wastes precious flour—small acts of selfishness that frustrate Hai but also reveal a girl trying to survive.

Qingdao (Chapters 12–19). In Qingdao, Di’s independence becomes more pronounced. She argues for staying in Qingdao when her mother insists they must reach Taiwan. She absorbs Communist rhetoric and declares she plans to join the Communist Party Youth League and the PLA. She gives cadres a false family story. When Mom slaps Di for suggesting Father might be dead, the conflict between them deepens.

Hong Kong (Chapters 22–29). Di continues to resist the family’s plans. She tries to tear Uncle Jian’s letter. She argues with her mother about Taiwan. She reveals her fear of being disposable. Yet she also shows moments of care—finding a writing brush for Hai after the typhoon, holding Hai’s hand on the ship’s deck as they leave Hong Kong.

Taiwan (Chapters 30–36). In Taiwan, Di’s resentment of Father persists. She explodes at Nai Nai alongside Hai, accusing Father of abandoning them. She remains resentful even as Hai begins to accept Father’s decision to leave the shiheyuan as amends. Di attends nursing school, dates Li-Tang (a tang cousin), and when the relationship ends in heartbreak and an abortion, she acquiesces to a marriage arranged by Father without protest. Hai reflects that Di became like a bucket of water thrown out the door—try as they might, they could never bring her back.

Relationships

Di and Hai. The sisters’ relationship is the emotional core of Di’s story. They fight constantly—over the stolen egg, over the letter from Uncle Jian, over whether to go to Taiwan. Yet they also share moments of profound connection. Di tells Hai that she is the only one in the family who has ever cared about her. Hai, for her part, recognizes Di’s suffering even when she cannot understand it, describing the experience of interpreting Di as like looking at ripples in the water and trying to see an image.

Di and Mom. Di’s relationship with her mother is fraught. She calls Mom a coward, accuses her of running back to Father because she’s afraid to fail. Yet she also acknowledges that Mom loves them all. The tension stems from Di’s belief that she is the most disposable of all the girls—not the special first daughter like Hai, not the baby like Lan.

Di and Father. Di’s resentment of Father runs deep. She accuses him of abandoning them in Shandong. She refuses to forgive him even after the family reunites in Taiwan. Her eventual marriage—arranged by Father after her scandal—is a bitter irony: the daughter who fought hardest for independence ends up bound by her father’s choice.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Embracing Communist rhetoric in Qingdao. Di’s decision to absorb the cadres’ speeches and plan to join the Communist Party Youth League and the PLA puts her in direct conflict with her mother. It also reveals her willingness to adapt to whatever system offers her a chance at survival.

2. Resisting the flight to Taiwan. Di’s resistance to the family’s departure—from trying to tear Uncle Jian’s letter to arguing against the move to Rennie’s Mill—is rooted in her fear of returning to the Ang family’s control. Her prediction that she would be disposable once they returned proves prescient.

3. Dating Li-Tang. Di’s relationship with her tang cousin Li-Tang, kept secret for nearly a year, ends in heartbreak when he breaks up with her and denies responsibility for her pregnancy. The abortion and the scandal that follows lead directly to her arranged marriage.

4. Acquiescing to the arranged marriage. Di’s decision to accept the marriage Father arranged—without protest, without a fight—marks the end of her resistance. Hai reflects that Di didn’t care about life or her future; she had lost her will to fight, which for someone like Di meant she had lost her sense of self.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Di embodies several of the novel’s central themes. Her name, meaning “Brother,” connects her to the theme of gender discrimination and the devaluation of daughters—she is literally named for what her father wished she had been. Her resistance to the family’s flight connects her to displacement and refugee survival, as she must constantly adapt to new circumstances. Her fraught relationship with her mother and her eventual acquiescence to an arranged marriage connect her to maternal sacrifice and intergenerational legacy. Her resentment of Father and her refusal to forgive connect her to memory, homeland, and identity in exile.

Di’s story also touches on class persecution and revolutionary violence, as her embrace of Communist rhetoric in Qingdao reflects the complex ways refugees navigated the political upheaval of the era. For more on how Di’s choices shape the novel’s conclusion, see the ending explained page.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Di resist going to Taiwan so fiercely?

Di’s resistance is rooted in her fear of returning to the Ang family’s control. She tells Hai that all girls are disposable, and she believes that within the family, she is the most disposable of all the girls—not the special first daughter like Hai, not the baby like Lan. She would rather make matchboxes and eat garbage for the rest of her life than live with Father and Nai Nai again, because at least then she would have her dignity.

2. What does Di’s name reveal about her character?

Di’s name means “Brother,” marking what her father wished for most. It is a constant reminder of what she could never be—a son. This naming shapes her sense of self: she grows up knowing she is a disappointment, and this knowledge fuels both her fierce independence and her fear of being disposable.

3. Why does Di acquiesce to the arranged marriage without protest?

After Li-Tang breaks up with her and denies responsibility for her pregnancy, Di is heartbroken. Hai reflects that Di didn’t care about life or her future; she had lost her will to fight, which for someone like Di meant she had lost her sense of self. The marriage is not a choice but a surrender—the end of a girl who once fought for everything.

4. How does Di’s relationship with Hai evolve?

The sisters fight constantly throughout the novel, yet they share moments of profound connection. Di tells Hai that she is the only one in the family who has ever cared about her. Hai recognizes Di’s suffering even when she cannot understand it. After Di’s marriage, Hai reflects that Di became like a bucket of water thrown out the door—try as they might, they could never bring her back.

5. Is Di a sympathetic character?

Di is a deeply sympathetic character, even when she is difficult. Her toughness is a survival mechanism forged by trauma. She has been abandoned—by her father, by her lover, by a family that never wanted her. Her independence is both her strength and her curse. She fights for freedom her entire life, and in the end, she surrenders to a marriage she never wanted. Her story is a tragedy of a girl who was never allowed to be what she wanted to be.

For more discussion questions and analysis, see the questions and answers page.