'Fly, Wild Swans' Weaves Jung Chang’s Family History with the History of China

The Sequel: Fly, Wild Swans

• 💡 Jung Chang's new book, "Fly, Wild Swans," serves as a sequel to her international bestseller "Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China," picking up the family's story from 1978.
• 📌 The author was moved to write the sequel as her mother's health failed in 2023, aiming to bring their personal stories and China's history up to date.
• ❤️ The book is described as a love letter to her mother, who remained in China while Jung Chang lived in the West.

Family History and Political Upheaval

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Jung Chang's mother joined the Communist underground before age 16, drawn by promises to abolish concubinage, but later became disillusioned.
• 💔 Her father, a devoted communist, was persecuted, tortured, and died during the Cultural Revolution for standing up to Mao, with her mother bravely standing by him.
• 🇨🇳 The Cultural Revolution, starting when Jung Chang was 14, profoundly influenced nearly every adult in China with its horrors and denunciation meetings.

Unveiling Mao's Legacy

• 📚 Jung Chang co-authored "Mao: The Unknown Story" with her husband, revealing critical details about Mao Zedong's rule.
• ⚠️ The book exposed that the Great Famine (1958-1961), which killed around 40 million people, was caused by Mao's decision to export food to the Soviet Bloc to pay for military industries.
• 🔄 Mao launched the Cultural Revolution four years after the famine to take revenge on disillusioned party members and replace them with loyalists.

Personal Consequences and China's Future

• 🚫 Due to her writings, particularly the Mao biography, Jung Chang's books are banned in China, and she faces risks if she returns.
• ⚖️ Despite being unable to be at her mother's bedside at the end of her life, Jung Chang does not regret writing her books, as her mother supported her freedom and writing.
• 🔮 She expresses concern that Xi Jinping is turning China back towards the "bad old Mao days," inheriting Mao's ambition for a superpower China, which evokes her past fears.