A review by kunalsen
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

5.0

This is the third book I read this year about twentieth century China. Each of these books contained first person experiences of the author living through the rapid changes that swept over the Chinese people as the country changed its political course. In China in Ten Words (Yu Hua) the writer was a young boy growing up during the cultural revolution and beyond. In Life and Death in Shanghai (Nien Cheng) we hear the bitter experiences of a person who was not particularly sympathetic towards the Communist Party, and therefore suffered horribly during the ten years of cultural revolution. In Wild Swans (Jung Chang) we hear about the same time period and events, but from the perspective of people who were very close to the party. Three different perspectives, but surprisingly the story remains exactly the same, giving credibility to all three narratives.

I found this book to be the most powerful of the three, and the most profound in its implications. Personally, the most revealing realization was how easily one can misinterpret history when we look at facts through the distorting lens of ideology. While China was going through these unbelievably horrible times, just across the border in my home state of West Bengal thousands of dedicated students gave their lives in the name of Mao. We conveniently ignored the facts that leaked through as propaganda and believed what we wanted to believe. Not just in my home state, but throughout the world well meaning and intelligent people were inspired by a set of distortions and lies, to the point where they were willing to make tremendous sacrifices for it. Reading this book once again confirmed my understanding that ideology, any ideology, is the most dangerous, disorienting, and lazy mode of thinking.

China is a very different country now, but these three books are still not allowed in the country.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of modern China, and anyone who wants to renew their faith is human dignity and spirit.