Question

1. what personal possession of ji-lis is taken when the red guards search the familys house? why is it confiscated?

Explanation:

In the context of Ji - li Jiang's "Red Scarf Girl", when the Red Guards search Ji - li's family house, her grandfather's violin is taken (or sometimes her father's belongings related to "reactionary" associations, but the violin is a notable possession). The confiscation happens because during the Cultural Revolution, items that were seen as associated with the "old culture", "old ideas", or belonging to those labeled as "class enemies" (Ji - li's family had issues due to her grandfather's background) were targeted. The violin was considered a symbol of the "old bourgeois" culture, so it was confiscated as part of the Red Guards' efforts to eliminate what they perceived as counter - revolutionary or non - proletarian elements.

Answer:

Ji - li's grandfather's violin (or related items with "bourgeois" connotations) is taken. It is confiscated because it is seen as a symbol of the "old" (bourgeois) culture, and during the Cultural Revolution, such items associated with "class enemies" (due to Ji - li's family's background) were targeted for elimination to enforce proletarian ideology.