A Clear Insight into Communist China

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	• Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China Jung Chang Touchstone, 2003 - 544 pages average customer review:based on 349 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Clear Insight into Communist China

I was impressed by Jung Chang's biography of Mao. Wild Swans puts that work into perspective showing what life was like, especially for women, in the waning days of the Chinese Republic and under the communists. The most striking thing is that all the "brilliant" young State Department officers who saw Mao as an agrarian reformer trying to modernize China were WRONG!!! This work shows on a personal level how that megalomaniacal, bloody-handed dictator actually ruled his kingdom. It also puts into context the American Left's "war against individualism" (Ted Kennedy) and what it could lead to if they ever got power.

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Excellent book!!

For some reason I have always been attracted to China's history. From all the books I've read regarding the subject, I have found out that the best ones are the autobiographical ones. If your really want to know more about China's modern history, you have to read what people have experienced in flesh. This book is the account of the lives of three generations of women in China. It's well written. It's hard to read at times, but it's worth reading it. I simply loved it.

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Excellent book on life in China

This is an excellent book on what life in China was like since the late 1800s. You will learn about historical events in China in addition to what everyday life was like for women and men. Once you start this book you will not want to put it down.

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A MUST READ BEFORE VISITING CHINA

My Husband and I traveled to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and a cruise up the Yangtze River in September 2005. Before leaving, I read Wild Swans and could not put it down. This is an exceptional personal account of a family's history in China which excompasses the actual political and cultural history of China during the life of the writer's grandmother, mother and herself. Very well written and when I met some of our Chinese guides and they told their stories (as they can and do now within the "new China"), I felt a familiarity to this book which, by the way, was banned in China at the time of our trip. I have ordered the writer's new book, MAO:THE UNTOLD STORY, and look forward to enjoying this book as well.

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read and reflect

All peoples of the world have the so-called baggage of history, not the least China which has seen more misery and suffering in the late 19th century through the 20th than in previous centuries. Jung Chang's book encapsulates that period through the lives of her family. It is a moving narrative and especially the period of the Cultural Revolution is as riveting as Nien Cheng's account of her travails. After reading this you will begin to understand why Chinese are so hell-bent on making up for lost time. Indeed, while the rest of Asia was experiencing economic boom China was mired in the Cultural Revolution. These self-inflicted wounds together with those from ruthless invaders are gradually being tempered by the hopes of better lives and economic development. Let us hope that the short time starting from the 1980's will herald a long period of peace for the country and the region.

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