The Secret Garden : Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 1

Li Ye (Mary Lennox) grew up without the love and affection of her parents. After an epidemic leaves her an orphan, Li Ye is sent off to live with her reclusive uncle in his sprawling estate in Nanjing. She learns of a secret garden where no one has set foot in ten years. Li Ye finds the garden and slowly discovers the secrets of the manor. With the help of new friends, she brings the garden back to life and learns the healing power of friendship and love.

Adaptation Notes

This story is an adaptation of British author Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 classic novel, The Secret Garden. This Mandarin Companion graded reader has been adapted into a fully localized Chinese version of the original story. The characters have been given authentic Chinese names as opposed to transliterations of English names, and the locations have been adapted to well-known places in China.

The following is a list of the characters from The Secret Garden in Chinese followed by their corresponding English names from the original novel. These aren’t translations; they’re new Chinese names used for the Chinese versions of the original characters. Think of them as all-new characters in a Chinese story.

• 李叶 (Lǐ Yè) – Mary Lennox
• 马阿姨 (Mǎ Āyí) – Mrs. Medlock
• 文先生 (Wén Xiānsheng) – Archibald Craven
• 文太太 (Wén Tàitai) – Mistress Craven
• 王乐心 (Wáng Lèxīn) – Martha Sowerby
• 林爷爷 (Lín Yéye) – Ben Weatherstaff
• 王乐天 (Wáng Lètiān) – Dickon Sowerby
• 文思远 (Wén Sīyuǎn) – Colin Craven