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Quote by Jung Chang

“At the age of fifteen my grandmother became the concubine of a warlord general.”

Quote by Jung Chang

Book:Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Work

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

This memoir offers an intimate look into the lives of three sisters from China, spanning the tumultuous decades of the 20th century. The narrative delves into the personal and political transformations they experienced, reflecting the broader shifts in Chinese society during this time. more

Author

Renowned historian and writer, author of 'China: A History' and 'Wild Swans', among others. She analyzes Chinese history and culture with a unique perspective and profound insight, winning wide acclaim worldwide. more

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“If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told them to do as Chairman Mao said. It was not possible to tell them anything else.”

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Author:Jung Chang

“I no longer have the terrible nightmares that I used to have. Mao had just died in 1976, and China began to open up. For the first time scholarships to go to the West to study were awarded on academic merit.”

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“I'm not the type to pat myself on the back and all that, but somebody has to be lucky, right? When I got to Dallas, I was struggling - sleeping on the floor with six guys in a three-bedroom apartment. I used to drive around, look at the big houses, and imagine what it would be like to live there and use that as motivation.”

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“When I was in China, Mao was Chairman, and parents were terrified to tell their children anything that differed from the party line in case the children repeated it and endangered the whole family.”

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Author:Jung Chang

“While I was writing Wild Swans I thought the famine was the result of economic mismanagement but during the research I realised that it was something more sinister.”

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“I remember when my mother pointed to a stone, and she said this was the kind of stone people used to place on the feet of the baby girls to stop them trying to climb away and unbind their feet.”

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“I think because of their terrible past, particularly this century, the Chinese have come to accept cruelty more than many other people, which is something I feel very unhappy about”

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“I live in a world where two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand”

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“In my 20s, I railed against anything 'spiritual', I thought it was all crap.”

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“Secrets are like pregnancies hereabouts. You can hide them for a while but then they will start screaming.”

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