Wild Swans

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, Simon & Schuster, 2003. 

Three Generations of Chinese Women

A memoir of the author, her mother, and her mother’s mother. This is a journey through the 20th century history of China: the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, World War II, the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists, and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. 

Author's Grandmother

The author’s maternal grandmother had bound feet and grew up in Northern China. The maternal grandmother’s father arranged for her to be a concubine to Xue Zhi-heng, a police general, with whom she had a daughter (the author’s mother). The maternal grandmother took her daughter away from General Xue, and married a second time, this time to an elderly, kind Manchu doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. 

Author's Mother

The author’s mother became a member of the Communist Party during the civil war between the Communists and Nationalists and married a fellow Communist. During 1949-1950 they moved from Jinzhou to the husband’s home in Sichuan Province. 

Moving to Sichuan Province

In Sichuan they had several children, including Jung Chang, who was born in 1952. The author describes her life growing up in Sichuan Province in China during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The author tells the sad story of how her father was driven insane by trying to be both an honest man and a loyal Communist. The author eventually emigrated to England. After she moved to England, she married an Irish historian, with whom she wrote a biography of Mao Zedong.

Chinese Communist Party Cadres

The author’s parents were both important officials of the Chinese Communist Party. They joined out of idealism, out of the belief that the Communists would eliminate the corruption of the Chinese Nationalists, the Guomindang. Members of the Guomindang frequently committed crimes against the Chinese people for financial motivations. The Chinese did not commit crimes against the people for reasons of personal gain, but rather for political reasons, because they suspected some citizens of being disloyal to the Communist revolution. 

Conflicting Loyalties

A constant problem in her family was the conflict between loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and loyalty to their family. Jung Chang’s mother thought that Jung Chang’s father should put his family above his party. 

Persecuted for Being Honest

Her father was persecuted by the Communist Party for being an honest man. When he saw some of his fellow party members do something wrong, he tried to bring it to the attention of the higher ups. This got him into trouble with the more malignant officials of the party. He actually became mentally ill due to his persecution. 

England

The author obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of York in 1982. While in England, she defected to the West.