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Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780743246989
The story of three generations in twentieth-century China that blends the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history¡ªa bestselling classic in thirty languages with more than ten million copies sold around the world, now with a new introduction from the author.
An engrossing record of Mao¡¯s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love, Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members: her grandmother, a warlord¡¯s concubine; her mother¡¯s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents¡¯ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a ¡°barefoot doctor,¡± a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving¡ªand ultimately uplifting¡ªdetail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
The story of three generations in twentieth-century China that blends the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history¡ªa bestselling classic in thirty languages with more than ten million copies sold around the world, now with a new introduction from the author.
An engrossing record of Mao¡¯s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love, Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members: her grandmother, a warlord¡¯s concubine; her mother¡¯s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents¡¯ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a ¡°barefoot doctor,¡± a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving¡ªand ultimately uplifting¡ªdetail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
562 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
7,009 people are currently reading
133k people want to read
About the author
Jung Chang
11?books1,740?followersJung Chang (Chinese: ÕÅÈÖ) is a Chinese-British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography Wild Swans, selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China.
Her 832-page biography of Mao Zedong, Mao: The Unknown Story, written with her husband, the Irish historian Jon Halliday, was published in June 2005.
Her 832-page biography of Mao Zedong, Mao: The Unknown Story, written with her husband, the Irish historian Jon Halliday, was published in June 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,798 reviews
July 25, 2008
Wild Swans may well be the most depressing book I've ever read. Don't let that keep you from giving it a try, though, for by some strange mechanism, it also ranks among the most uplifting books I've read, chronicling as it does a courage, resilience and will to survive which are nothing short of riveting. I could sum the book up by saying it's the greatest ode to courage and resilience ever written, or that it's one of those rare books which make you despair of humanity and then go a long way towards restoring your faith in it, but no, I'm not going to leave it at that. I'm going to do this book justice, because damn it, it deserves it.
For those of you who missed the hype back in the early 1990s, Wild Swans is the true history of three generations of women living through the horrible nightmare that is modern Chinese history. One is the author herself, now a naturalised British citizen. The second is her mother, an earnest Communist who raised a large family at a time which was extremely bad for family life. The third is her grandmother, who was married off as a concubine to a warlord as a girl and lived to see her family suffer for this unfortunate connection again and again. Using these three extraordinary lives as her main focus, Jung Chang tells the history of China's even more extraordinary twentieth century, from the late Qing Dynasty in the first decade of the century to the relatively free 1980s, a period comprising the Republican era, the battle between the Kwomintang and the Communists, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. It's gripping stuff even for those who know their Chinese history, and it blew me away when I first read it halfway through my Chinese degree, making me wonder (for the first time but not the last) whether I really wanted to devote the rest of my life to China. It took me two more years to decide that I did not, but this book, whose memory has always stayed with me, played a large part in that decision. To this day, I vividly remember the horror I experienced when I read the long section about the Cultural Revolution. It brought alive the terror of that particular episode of Chinese history better than any other book I'd read, and it shocked me to my core.
While Wild Swans is largely about the three women mentioned above, the most interesting person in the book (I hesitate to call him a character as he was obviously a very real person) is the author's father, a high-ranking cadre who genuinely believed in the Communist ideals and strove all his life to implement them in daily life. At first, he is infuriating in his refusal to grant his wife and children the privileges to which they are entitled as his relatives (on the grounds that to do so would amount to nepotism and corruption, which is precisely what the Communists are supposed to be trying to eradicate), but as the story progresses, you realise that there is something quite heroic about Mr Chang -- that he is, in his daughter's words, 'a moral man living in a land that [is] a moral void'. By the time the Cultural Revolution rolls around the corner, you feel such admiration for him that you'd personally drag him away from the humiliations and beatings he receives for sticking to his guns if you could, to prevent him having to experience that loss of faith and dreams which is bound to follow. His is a tragedy with a capital T, and it's harrowing -- one of the most painful things I've read, and then some.
Yet for all the personal struggles described in the book (and there are many of them), the main struggling character of Wild Swans is China itself. Chang does a great job chronicling what J.G. Ballard called 'the brain-death of a nation', sharing historical facts in a way non-sinologists will understand and showing the cruelty and mercilessness inherent in the Chinese -- or should that be humanity in general? She does a marvellous job describing the panic and unpredictability of the early Cultural Revolution, when absolutely everybody could be denounced at the drop of a hat, and when pettiness and lust for power reigned. Along the road, she provides fascinating insights into Mao Zedong's selfishness and megalomania, and into the hypocrisy and incongruity of the movements he set in motion, which brutalised human relationships like nothing else ever has. And all these atrocities she juxtaposes with the integrity and courage of her parents and grandmother, who get through it all with some hope and optimism left intact. It's a riveting story, and Chang tells it well.
If I have any complaints about Wild Swans, they concern the first few chapters and the romanisation of names. The early parts of the book, which deal with events the author did not witness herself, feel a bit aloof and lifeless. (It gets better once Chang starts telling about her parents, and once she reaches the part of the story to which she herself was privy (the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution), the book becomes quite unputdownable.) As for the romanisation, I wish the publisher had hired an editor skilled in Pinyin, as Chang's spelling of Chinese names is all over the place (something non-sinologists won't notice, but which is an eyesore to me). These are minor flaws, though, which hardly detract from the overall quality of the book. Wild Swans is an intensely compelling read -- moving, unsettling and unforgettable. It should be compulsory reading for everyone remotely interested in China, or in history in general.
For those of you who missed the hype back in the early 1990s, Wild Swans is the true history of three generations of women living through the horrible nightmare that is modern Chinese history. One is the author herself, now a naturalised British citizen. The second is her mother, an earnest Communist who raised a large family at a time which was extremely bad for family life. The third is her grandmother, who was married off as a concubine to a warlord as a girl and lived to see her family suffer for this unfortunate connection again and again. Using these three extraordinary lives as her main focus, Jung Chang tells the history of China's even more extraordinary twentieth century, from the late Qing Dynasty in the first decade of the century to the relatively free 1980s, a period comprising the Republican era, the battle between the Kwomintang and the Communists, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. It's gripping stuff even for those who know their Chinese history, and it blew me away when I first read it halfway through my Chinese degree, making me wonder (for the first time but not the last) whether I really wanted to devote the rest of my life to China. It took me two more years to decide that I did not, but this book, whose memory has always stayed with me, played a large part in that decision. To this day, I vividly remember the horror I experienced when I read the long section about the Cultural Revolution. It brought alive the terror of that particular episode of Chinese history better than any other book I'd read, and it shocked me to my core.
While Wild Swans is largely about the three women mentioned above, the most interesting person in the book (I hesitate to call him a character as he was obviously a very real person) is the author's father, a high-ranking cadre who genuinely believed in the Communist ideals and strove all his life to implement them in daily life. At first, he is infuriating in his refusal to grant his wife and children the privileges to which they are entitled as his relatives (on the grounds that to do so would amount to nepotism and corruption, which is precisely what the Communists are supposed to be trying to eradicate), but as the story progresses, you realise that there is something quite heroic about Mr Chang -- that he is, in his daughter's words, 'a moral man living in a land that [is] a moral void'. By the time the Cultural Revolution rolls around the corner, you feel such admiration for him that you'd personally drag him away from the humiliations and beatings he receives for sticking to his guns if you could, to prevent him having to experience that loss of faith and dreams which is bound to follow. His is a tragedy with a capital T, and it's harrowing -- one of the most painful things I've read, and then some.
Yet for all the personal struggles described in the book (and there are many of them), the main struggling character of Wild Swans is China itself. Chang does a great job chronicling what J.G. Ballard called 'the brain-death of a nation', sharing historical facts in a way non-sinologists will understand and showing the cruelty and mercilessness inherent in the Chinese -- or should that be humanity in general? She does a marvellous job describing the panic and unpredictability of the early Cultural Revolution, when absolutely everybody could be denounced at the drop of a hat, and when pettiness and lust for power reigned. Along the road, she provides fascinating insights into Mao Zedong's selfishness and megalomania, and into the hypocrisy and incongruity of the movements he set in motion, which brutalised human relationships like nothing else ever has. And all these atrocities she juxtaposes with the integrity and courage of her parents and grandmother, who get through it all with some hope and optimism left intact. It's a riveting story, and Chang tells it well.
If I have any complaints about Wild Swans, they concern the first few chapters and the romanisation of names. The early parts of the book, which deal with events the author did not witness herself, feel a bit aloof and lifeless. (It gets better once Chang starts telling about her parents, and once she reaches the part of the story to which she herself was privy (the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution), the book becomes quite unputdownable.) As for the romanisation, I wish the publisher had hired an editor skilled in Pinyin, as Chang's spelling of Chinese names is all over the place (something non-sinologists won't notice, but which is an eyesore to me). These are minor flaws, though, which hardly detract from the overall quality of the book. Wild Swans is an intensely compelling read -- moving, unsettling and unforgettable. It should be compulsory reading for everyone remotely interested in China, or in history in general.
September 16, 2023
Do you know who the President of China is? This might be a trick question.....
Isn¡¯t it strange that most Americans don¡¯t know the names of world leaders?
No time like the present to read this book! This week, CNN published this article:
In the United States, 1 million people have died from COVID. In China, it is reported that less than 6,000 people died. Does this seem accurate? No. The Chinese government has a history of censorship. In The Great Chinese Famine, doctors were prohibited from listing starvation as a cause of death. The Chinese people deserve the truth, accurate information, not coverups.
And this review might get me killed, but if I'm not brave enough to speak up, who will?
Wild Swans is the true story of three generations of Chinese women: Jung Chang, her grandmother, and her mother. The book focuses on the time period 1909 to 1978.
Wild Swans doesn¡¯t hold back. It has meticulous attention to details, not vague stories. We get to know the women, but we also learn about Chinese history, society, and the regimes at the time.
Wild Swans also talks about The Great Chinese Famine which occurred between 1958 and 1961. An estimated 15 to 55 million people died.
The book has extensive discussions of Communism and Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party at the time period covered during this book, both the positive and negative sides.
Some sections of this book were extremely heartbreaking. The huge disparity in women¡¯s rights reminds me of the book, White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind.
Highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about other cultures or a bit more about Chinese history.
Please note that although the book has a cute name, Wild Swans, it is not a children¡¯s book.
Connect With Me!
Isn¡¯t it strange that most Americans don¡¯t know the names of world leaders?
No time like the present to read this book! This week, CNN published this article:
In the United States, 1 million people have died from COVID. In China, it is reported that less than 6,000 people died. Does this seem accurate? No. The Chinese government has a history of censorship. In The Great Chinese Famine, doctors were prohibited from listing starvation as a cause of death. The Chinese people deserve the truth, accurate information, not coverups.
And this review might get me killed, but if I'm not brave enough to speak up, who will?
Wild Swans is the true story of three generations of Chinese women: Jung Chang, her grandmother, and her mother. The book focuses on the time period 1909 to 1978.
Wild Swans doesn¡¯t hold back. It has meticulous attention to details, not vague stories. We get to know the women, but we also learn about Chinese history, society, and the regimes at the time.
Wild Swans also talks about The Great Chinese Famine which occurred between 1958 and 1961. An estimated 15 to 55 million people died.
The book has extensive discussions of Communism and Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party at the time period covered during this book, both the positive and negative sides.
Some sections of this book were extremely heartbreaking. The huge disparity in women¡¯s rights reminds me of the book, White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind.
Highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about other cultures or a bit more about Chinese history.
Please note that although the book has a cute name, Wild Swans, it is not a children¡¯s book.
Connect With Me!
February 27, 2021
At first I did not want to voice my opinion of this book since it cut so near to the bone and was such a profound shock to read in 1993. It was, however, the first book, after reading Isabelle Allende, that kept me awake for several weeks afterwards. No other book ever managed to achieve that.
It certainly is a depressing book, no beating around the bush about that, but also such a courageous introduction to a life of people shut away behind the veil of communism. My overall impression of the book was that it must have been equally painful for the author to write it as it was for her family, three generations of women, to endure the horrific takeover of Mao Tse Tung in China. As with all Communist rhetoric, so many noble promises were made to people, freedom of oppression being the biggest, and innocent poor people believed enough in the idea to die for it. Those who did not want to accept it, were killed as well - in their millions.
However, people such as Jung's father, who staunchly believed that it would bring change for the good, staggered back in horror when the first real implications of Communism hit their lives. Freedom was the first privilege to be revoked on all levels of human existence. All intellectuals( against the revolution) were either interned or killed. They all lost their jobs and their standing and their respect in society were publicly destroyed. They were declared enemies of the state.
The equalization of society also did not happen seamlessly and the population would soon find out what it really entailed. The educational- and health systems crashed completely. Expropriation of land was part of the plan. Landowners were brutally murdered, land-grabbing became the order of the day. Land redistribution soon led to the most staggering overgrazing and erosion of fertile land over millions of hectares. Large parts of China became an instant man-made desert. Poverty and famine increased substantially and exponentially. Thirty million people died of hunger alone, which was a well-kept secret for almost forty years.
Jung Chang writes on p166:
Everybody living in a free country should read this book. The only way to understand real freedom is to get to know life when it is taken away - and almost always by the very same people who used the idea to win them over to a new dispensation.
Although it was an exhausting book to read, it opened the dark, horrible side of the so-called 'freedom-fighters' and communism to the world. It is written in such a way that the history lesson flows easily along the narrative, which was compelling. You need time for this book, and lots of courage. However, it was beautifully written. One of the best books I have ever read!
This book changed my life and my choice of books completely!
Listen to this with the author about this book.
It certainly is a depressing book, no beating around the bush about that, but also such a courageous introduction to a life of people shut away behind the veil of communism. My overall impression of the book was that it must have been equally painful for the author to write it as it was for her family, three generations of women, to endure the horrific takeover of Mao Tse Tung in China. As with all Communist rhetoric, so many noble promises were made to people, freedom of oppression being the biggest, and innocent poor people believed enough in the idea to die for it. Those who did not want to accept it, were killed as well - in their millions.
However, people such as Jung's father, who staunchly believed that it would bring change for the good, staggered back in horror when the first real implications of Communism hit their lives. Freedom was the first privilege to be revoked on all levels of human existence. All intellectuals( against the revolution) were either interned or killed. They all lost their jobs and their standing and their respect in society were publicly destroyed. They were declared enemies of the state.
The equalization of society also did not happen seamlessly and the population would soon find out what it really entailed. The educational- and health systems crashed completely. Expropriation of land was part of the plan. Landowners were brutally murdered, land-grabbing became the order of the day. Land redistribution soon led to the most staggering overgrazing and erosion of fertile land over millions of hectares. Large parts of China became an instant man-made desert. Poverty and famine increased substantially and exponentially. Thirty million people died of hunger alone, which was a well-kept secret for almost forty years.
Jung Chang writes on p166:
The narrative describes how an entire nation was terrorized, traumatized and intimidated into submission by various methods.Although the Communists were apposed to torture in theory and on principle, officials were told that they should not intervene if the peasant wished to vent their anger in passionate acts of revenge(against the farm owners).
People such as Jin were not just wealthy owners of land, but had wielded absolute and arbituary power, which they indulged in willfully, over the lives of the local population. They were called e-ba ( ferocious despots).
In some areas the killing extended to ordinary landlords, who were called 'stones' - obstacles to the revolution. Policy towards the 'stones' was: 'When in doubt, kill.
'My father thought this was wrong and told his subordinates and public meetings, that only those who, unquestionably had blood on their hands should be sentenced to death. In his reports to his superiors he repeatedly said that the Party should be careful with human lives, and that excessive executions would only harm the revolution. It was partly because many people like my father spoke up that in February 1948 the Communist leadership issued urgent instructions to stop the violent excesses.
Everybody living in a free country should read this book. The only way to understand real freedom is to get to know life when it is taken away - and almost always by the very same people who used the idea to win them over to a new dispensation.
Although it was an exhausting book to read, it opened the dark, horrible side of the so-called 'freedom-fighters' and communism to the world. It is written in such a way that the history lesson flows easily along the narrative, which was compelling. You need time for this book, and lots of courage. However, it was beautifully written. One of the best books I have ever read!
This book changed my life and my choice of books completely!
Listen to this with the author about this book.
May 3, 2022
(Book 165 from 1001 books) Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang
First published in 1991. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a family history that spans a century, recounting the lives of three female generations in China, by Chinese writer Jung Chang. Wild Swans contains the biographies of her grandmother and her mother, then finally her own autobiography. An engrossing record of Mao¡¯s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love, Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members: her grandmother, a warlord¡¯s concubine; her mother¡¯s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents¡¯ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution.
????? ?????? ?????: ??????? ??? ??????? ???2001??????
?????: ????? ????? ???: ???? ????? ?????: ???????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???1379? ??701?? ????? ???? ????9646984185? ????? ?????????? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???1876?????? ?? ?????? ???1991??????? ????????? ? ???????? ?? ????????? ??? - ??? 20?
????????? ???? ????? ? ????? ???????? ? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ????? ???1876?????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ???? ????????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ? ???? ? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ????????? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ??????? ? ??? ???????? ??? ???????? ? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???...? ?? ???1992??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ? ??????? ? ??.??.??? ? ??????????? ???? ??
??????? ? ??? ???? ????? ???: (1. ???? ?????: ????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? 2. ??????????: ????? ?????? ???????? ? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ???????? 3. ?????? ????????: ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? 4. ??????? ????: ??????? ? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ? ?? ?????? ???????? ????????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ? ???? ??? ? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? 5. ???????? ?????: ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ? ??? ? ??? ? ???? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ? ???? ???????? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ???????? ????? 6. ?????? ?????: ??? ????????? ?????? ???????? ????? ????????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ???????? 7. ??????? ?????: ????????! ?? ???? ?????? ??????!?? 8. ??????? ????: ??? ????? ?? ??????????? ? ???????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ????????????? 9. ?????? ??? ?????: ??? ? ??? ??????????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ????? 10. ??? ?? ??????: ????? ?????????? ? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? 11. ???????? ??: ????? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ???...?)? ????? ?????
??? ????? ???? ? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ????? ????????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ????? ???? ?????
????? ?????? ????? 21/05/1399???? ???????? 12/02/1401???? ????????? ?. ???????
First published in 1991. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a family history that spans a century, recounting the lives of three female generations in China, by Chinese writer Jung Chang. Wild Swans contains the biographies of her grandmother and her mother, then finally her own autobiography. An engrossing record of Mao¡¯s impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love, Jung Chang describes the extraordinary lives and experiences of her family members: her grandmother, a warlord¡¯s concubine; her mother¡¯s struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents¡¯ experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution.
????? ?????? ?????: ??????? ??? ??????? ???2001??????
?????: ????? ????? ???: ???? ????? ?????: ???????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???1379? ??701?? ????? ???? ????9646984185? ????? ?????????? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???1876?????? ?? ?????? ???1991??????? ????????? ? ???????? ?? ????????? ??? - ??? 20?
????????? ???? ????? ? ????? ???????? ? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ????? ???1876?????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ???? ????????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ? ???? ? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ????????? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????????? ??? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ??????? ? ??? ???????? ??? ???????? ? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???...? ?? ???1992??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ? ??????? ? ??.??.??? ? ??????????? ???? ??
??????? ? ??? ???? ????? ???: (1. ???? ?????: ????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? 2. ??????????: ????? ?????? ???????? ? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ???????? 3. ?????? ????????: ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? 4. ??????? ????: ??????? ? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ? ?? ?????? ???????? ????????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ? ???? ??? ? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? 5. ???????? ?????: ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ? ??? ? ??? ? ???? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ? ???? ???????? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ???????? ????? 6. ?????? ?????: ??? ????????? ?????? ???????? ????? ????????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ???????? 7. ??????? ?????: ????????! ?? ???? ?????? ??????!?? 8. ??????? ????: ??? ????? ?? ??????????? ? ???????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ????????????? 9. ?????? ??? ?????: ??? ? ??? ??????????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ????? 10. ??? ?? ??????: ????? ?????????? ? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? 11. ???????? ??: ????? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ???...?)? ????? ?????
??? ????? ???? ? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ????? ????????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ????? ???? ?????
????? ?????? ????? 21/05/1399???? ???????? 12/02/1401???? ????????? ?. ???????
February 27, 2016
Please read this before you decide to review this book. And pardon me for my crappy English. I'll try my best to explain.
Now, you've read her side of the story. Here's my family side of the story.
I read this book couple years ago for my Contemporary Chinese History class, and it wasn't until recently when I skyped with my father and we came across a short discussion about this book, and I was able to make the connection. The Chinese version of this book holds a very different title, so my father and I had to compare the details to make sure that we were talking about the same book.
If you have finished the book, you'd remember in the Chapter where she talks about the red guards raided her classmate AI LING's home.
She wrote that Ai ling's father was a famous economist and the family lived in a nice house with a nice garden. In the chapter, if I remember this correctly, she talks about how the red guards had beaten Ai Ling's father, and Ai Ling, too. How she remembers that the family owns set of very exquisite snuff bottles and how they got taken by the red guards.
In the chapter, Chang describes herself as this innocent bystander, she heard the whole event couple days later from Ai ling and she was sad to see Ai ling hurt.
Well, only some of these were true.
Ai Ling's real name is Ai Lei, she's my great aunt, my father's big sister, the author's classmate when they were students at No'4 middle school of Chengdu when this all happened.
Jung Chang wasn't an innocent bystander, she didn't hear the raid about my family's house from my aunt. She was, in fact, one of the red guards who raided my family. She was there to announce the "big letter report" against my family and locked my family in the woodshed while the red guards raided the house. The snuff bottles are a set contains 400 different bottles made out of rare gems and metals. Those belong to my great grandfather and those were not the only thing got taken away that day. My grandfather, great aunt, and my father were beaten senselessly with belts and fists by the red guards before they locked them in the woodshed with the rest of the family.
I feel extremely uncomfortable about how she portrayed herself as the witness and the victim of the Cultural Revolution when the truth is that she had a very active role in it. It is sad to see the rest of the world sees this book as the most valuable document to study the Cultural Revolution when the author lied about such a crucial detail. It puts the reliability of the whole book in question.
Also, I am extremely angry as the descendant of the real victims of the Cultural Revolution. We, the real victims, the "black kind", lost everything in the so-called revolution when the author continued on studying in a prestigious school in Beijing and ended up in the UK. Now since she's outside the system, she writes a book about the system and deliberately left out the parts about herself. This is just not right.
If you question the reliability of my statement, I can assure that the story can be verified by numbers of her old middle school classmates, and also, my father. My family still lives in the house with a garden. Yes, it still exists, and it is over a hundred years old.
May the voice of the real victims of this revolution be heard.
Now, you've read her side of the story. Here's my family side of the story.
I read this book couple years ago for my Contemporary Chinese History class, and it wasn't until recently when I skyped with my father and we came across a short discussion about this book, and I was able to make the connection. The Chinese version of this book holds a very different title, so my father and I had to compare the details to make sure that we were talking about the same book.
If you have finished the book, you'd remember in the Chapter where she talks about the red guards raided her classmate AI LING's home.
She wrote that Ai ling's father was a famous economist and the family lived in a nice house with a nice garden. In the chapter, if I remember this correctly, she talks about how the red guards had beaten Ai Ling's father, and Ai Ling, too. How she remembers that the family owns set of very exquisite snuff bottles and how they got taken by the red guards.
In the chapter, Chang describes herself as this innocent bystander, she heard the whole event couple days later from Ai ling and she was sad to see Ai ling hurt.
Well, only some of these were true.
Ai Ling's real name is Ai Lei, she's my great aunt, my father's big sister, the author's classmate when they were students at No'4 middle school of Chengdu when this all happened.
Jung Chang wasn't an innocent bystander, she didn't hear the raid about my family's house from my aunt. She was, in fact, one of the red guards who raided my family. She was there to announce the "big letter report" against my family and locked my family in the woodshed while the red guards raided the house. The snuff bottles are a set contains 400 different bottles made out of rare gems and metals. Those belong to my great grandfather and those were not the only thing got taken away that day. My grandfather, great aunt, and my father were beaten senselessly with belts and fists by the red guards before they locked them in the woodshed with the rest of the family.
I feel extremely uncomfortable about how she portrayed herself as the witness and the victim of the Cultural Revolution when the truth is that she had a very active role in it. It is sad to see the rest of the world sees this book as the most valuable document to study the Cultural Revolution when the author lied about such a crucial detail. It puts the reliability of the whole book in question.
Also, I am extremely angry as the descendant of the real victims of the Cultural Revolution. We, the real victims, the "black kind", lost everything in the so-called revolution when the author continued on studying in a prestigious school in Beijing and ended up in the UK. Now since she's outside the system, she writes a book about the system and deliberately left out the parts about herself. This is just not right.
If you question the reliability of my statement, I can assure that the story can be verified by numbers of her old middle school classmates, and also, my father. My family still lives in the house with a garden. Yes, it still exists, and it is over a hundred years old.
May the voice of the real victims of this revolution be heard.
February 5, 2022
?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? .. ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????? .. ???? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? .. ??????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ??? 600 ???? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? .. ??? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? .. ????? ???? ?? ???????? ????? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ..
?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? .. ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????????? "???? ???????" ??? ?? ??????? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? .. ??? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? .. ??? ?? ???? ???????? ??????? : ( ??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????) .. ??? ?? ?????? ???????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ???? .. ????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? .. ???? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?????????? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ?????????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???????? ..
"?????? ????????" ????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????. ??527
?? ???? ?????? ???? .. ??? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ????? ?????? .. ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???????? .. ???? ??? ??? ???? ????? ??????? .. ??? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? .. ????? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????? .. ???????? ????? ?? ?????? ????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? .. ???????? ???? ???? ??????
???? ?? ???????:
????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? .. ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ??????? ??????? .. ????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ..
March 25, 2020
¡°Father is close, Mother is close, but neither is as close as Chairman Mao.¡±
A fascinating description of one family's experiences of China's political upheavals across the 20th century, focusing on Jung Chang¡¯s grandmother, mother, and then herself.
Although the family are fairly privileged much of the time, they still experience great hardships: being a Party member, or even Party official, was no guarantee of immunity from persecution and sometimes torture.
Hard to categorise - but don¡¯t be daunted
It's part biography/autobiography and part a historical/ political/ psychological exposition of how Communist China came into being and how it maintained its hold on its citizens, even during extreme hardship, such as famine. However, it has the readability of a novel, eschewing sheer horror and dry history - quite an achievement.
This book can seem daunting because of its size, subject matter and fame, but it's actually a riveting read and although some of the content is harrowing, the writing style is very easy going. It is a complex story, but it is not confusing.
It's subtitled "Three daughters of China", but it¡¯s a story for everyone. Strong women are in the foreground, but one of the most powerfully drawn characters is Jung Chang's father: born poor, largely self-educated, who loved literature, was a passionate and principled Communist (putting Party before family), rising to power as an official, but who couldn't cope when he saw his beliefs being violated in the name of the Party.
Contradictions inherent in the system
¡°They verbally attacked each other with Mao's quotations, making cynical use of his guru-like elusiveness - it was easy to select a quotation of Mao's to suit any situation, or even both sides of the same argument.¡±
Although I have read quite a few books about China, this one gets to the heart of the contradictions of The Party and how to brainwash a vast nation far better than many others. When Jung Chang subsequently wrote a biography of Mao, she'd already done much of the groundwork in Wild Swans.
Brutality and hypocrisy of various kinds are described, but it's some of the subtler hardships that were especially vivid. I find it extraordinary that strong family ties could coexist with couples not allowed to live together and an apparent casualness/resignation of children left to live with wet nurses, relatives or in boarding nurseries for years.
Image: Scene from The Red Detachment of Women, one of the Eight Model Operas of the Cultural Revolution (.)
During the Cultural Revolution, which began when Jung Chan was a teenager, ignorance was glorified (even in universities) and beautiful artefacts destroyed; the family were expelled from the official compound and sent to live in rooms in an old mansion:
"Beauty was so despised that my family was sent to this lovely house as a punishment."
Unexpected levity
There is humour too: sending those studying English to a southern port to practise by talking to foreign sailors; not being able to rename a street whose sign was too high, and traffic chaos when it was decided that red was a positive colour so oughtn't to mean "stop"!
The extraordinary degree of organisation in some aspects of life and none in others aligned with my expectations, but also highlighted contradictions, such as being sent to "learn" from the peasants, with no guidance as to what was to be learnt, nor account of the peasants not wanting extra mouths attached to not very useful hands.
Flaws
The main problems are minor, but nonetheless irritating.
* Although the political history is explained very well, because it is also autobiographical, important events that didn't affect the family (such as the Long March) are barely mentioned and this is where its confused identity between biography and political text book are a weakness.
* People refer to others by relationship ("my mother", "my father's mother in law" etc), which is confusing when different characters talk about their relatives, without using names.
* Some passages sound clich¨¦d; that is partly because I have read many other books on similar subjects, but it is also because at times the writing style actually is somewhat banal.
Nevertheless, this is an insightful, accessible, and enjoyable book.
Horror and hope
There are many horrors in this book (though generally not graphically described), but I didn't find it depressing: the indomitable spirit of many of the people, coupled with the fact I know Jung Chang is now happy and successful, give an air of hope.
Freedom?
China's people are still far from free, but having read this book and travelled round China in '92 and '08, the transformation is remarkable - and ongoing. It¡¯s a crowded country, but also one of tranquil beauty.
Image: The calm of Shennong Stream (a tributary of the Yangtze), April 2008
A fascinating description of one family's experiences of China's political upheavals across the 20th century, focusing on Jung Chang¡¯s grandmother, mother, and then herself.
Although the family are fairly privileged much of the time, they still experience great hardships: being a Party member, or even Party official, was no guarantee of immunity from persecution and sometimes torture.
Hard to categorise - but don¡¯t be daunted
It's part biography/autobiography and part a historical/ political/ psychological exposition of how Communist China came into being and how it maintained its hold on its citizens, even during extreme hardship, such as famine. However, it has the readability of a novel, eschewing sheer horror and dry history - quite an achievement.
This book can seem daunting because of its size, subject matter and fame, but it's actually a riveting read and although some of the content is harrowing, the writing style is very easy going. It is a complex story, but it is not confusing.
It's subtitled "Three daughters of China", but it¡¯s a story for everyone. Strong women are in the foreground, but one of the most powerfully drawn characters is Jung Chang's father: born poor, largely self-educated, who loved literature, was a passionate and principled Communist (putting Party before family), rising to power as an official, but who couldn't cope when he saw his beliefs being violated in the name of the Party.
Contradictions inherent in the system
¡°They verbally attacked each other with Mao's quotations, making cynical use of his guru-like elusiveness - it was easy to select a quotation of Mao's to suit any situation, or even both sides of the same argument.¡±
Although I have read quite a few books about China, this one gets to the heart of the contradictions of The Party and how to brainwash a vast nation far better than many others. When Jung Chang subsequently wrote a biography of Mao, she'd already done much of the groundwork in Wild Swans.
Brutality and hypocrisy of various kinds are described, but it's some of the subtler hardships that were especially vivid. I find it extraordinary that strong family ties could coexist with couples not allowed to live together and an apparent casualness/resignation of children left to live with wet nurses, relatives or in boarding nurseries for years.
Image: Scene from The Red Detachment of Women, one of the Eight Model Operas of the Cultural Revolution (.)
During the Cultural Revolution, which began when Jung Chan was a teenager, ignorance was glorified (even in universities) and beautiful artefacts destroyed; the family were expelled from the official compound and sent to live in rooms in an old mansion:
"Beauty was so despised that my family was sent to this lovely house as a punishment."
Unexpected levity
There is humour too: sending those studying English to a southern port to practise by talking to foreign sailors; not being able to rename a street whose sign was too high, and traffic chaos when it was decided that red was a positive colour so oughtn't to mean "stop"!
The extraordinary degree of organisation in some aspects of life and none in others aligned with my expectations, but also highlighted contradictions, such as being sent to "learn" from the peasants, with no guidance as to what was to be learnt, nor account of the peasants not wanting extra mouths attached to not very useful hands.
Flaws
The main problems are minor, but nonetheless irritating.
* Although the political history is explained very well, because it is also autobiographical, important events that didn't affect the family (such as the Long March) are barely mentioned and this is where its confused identity between biography and political text book are a weakness.
* People refer to others by relationship ("my mother", "my father's mother in law" etc), which is confusing when different characters talk about their relatives, without using names.
* Some passages sound clich¨¦d; that is partly because I have read many other books on similar subjects, but it is also because at times the writing style actually is somewhat banal.
Nevertheless, this is an insightful, accessible, and enjoyable book.
Horror and hope
There are many horrors in this book (though generally not graphically described), but I didn't find it depressing: the indomitable spirit of many of the people, coupled with the fact I know Jung Chang is now happy and successful, give an air of hope.
Freedom?
China's people are still far from free, but having read this book and travelled round China in '92 and '08, the transformation is remarkable - and ongoing. It¡¯s a crowded country, but also one of tranquil beauty.
Image: The calm of Shennong Stream (a tributary of the Yangtze), April 2008
September 16, 2017
'Cisnes salvajes' es el relato de la juventud de la autora, la historia de su madre y de su abuela, mujeres incre¨ªblemente valientes que tuvieron que pasar por el infierno de nacer en la China del siglo XX.
Creo que es uno de esos libros con los que es imposible no enfurecerse o llorar de rabia y tristeza por la crueldad e idiotez del ser humano. Por suerte el libro tambi¨¦n est¨¢ lleno de personas maravillosas.
No dejo de darle vueltas al hecho de que a¨²n hoy la Historia de China y la dictadura de Mao siguen siendo grandes desconocidas y olvidadas por Occidente. Siempre que alguien piensa en el "gran villano" se acuerda de Hitler o Stalin pero todos olvidamos a Mao... su Revoluci¨®n Cultural es una de las cosas m¨¢s aterradoras que he le¨ªdo en toda mi vida.
Y s¨ª, 'Cisnes salvajes' es un libro denso al que hay que dedicarle su tiempo pero cada minuto de su lectura merece la pena... Aunque siempre me ha interesado la Historia de China, leer este libro me ha hecho comprender much¨ªsimas cosas de ese enorme pa¨ªs y su cultura, y en fin, no puedo m¨¢s que recomendarlo.
Y la resaca, se?ores, la resaca va a ser ¨¦pica.
Creo que es uno de esos libros con los que es imposible no enfurecerse o llorar de rabia y tristeza por la crueldad e idiotez del ser humano. Por suerte el libro tambi¨¦n est¨¢ lleno de personas maravillosas.
No dejo de darle vueltas al hecho de que a¨²n hoy la Historia de China y la dictadura de Mao siguen siendo grandes desconocidas y olvidadas por Occidente. Siempre que alguien piensa en el "gran villano" se acuerda de Hitler o Stalin pero todos olvidamos a Mao... su Revoluci¨®n Cultural es una de las cosas m¨¢s aterradoras que he le¨ªdo en toda mi vida.
Y s¨ª, 'Cisnes salvajes' es un libro denso al que hay que dedicarle su tiempo pero cada minuto de su lectura merece la pena... Aunque siempre me ha interesado la Historia de China, leer este libro me ha hecho comprender much¨ªsimas cosas de ese enorme pa¨ªs y su cultura, y en fin, no puedo m¨¢s que recomendarlo.
Y la resaca, se?ores, la resaca va a ser ¨¦pica.
April 10, 2019
"??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????."
????? ????? ?? ????
???? ??????? ?? ??? ????/???? ?? ??? 2013? -??? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???????- ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ????????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ????? ???????????? ?????? ??????????? ??? "????? ???????? ??????? ???????"?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?????. ??? ?? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????????! ????? ????? ?????? ?????? R¨¦education? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????? La R¨¦volution Culturelle ???? ???? ?????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ??????! ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???????. ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ????????????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ???.
????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ????????? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????. ??? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? -??? ?? ??????- ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????. ?? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???????? ????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ???????. ?????? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ?????????? ??????? ????????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ????????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????.
????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? 1984 ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ??: ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ?????! ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??: ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????!
???? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????????! ?????? ??????! ?????? ????????????! ???????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????! ????? ?? ?????? ???????! ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????! ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????! ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????! ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????! ???? ???????? ???? ?????!
???? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ???????? ??????????. ?????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??????.
?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??????! ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? ??????? ???????.
???? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???????! ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????!
...
????? ????? ?? ????
???? ??????? ?? ??? ????/???? ?? ??? 2013? -??? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???????- ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ????????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ????? ???????????? ?????? ??????????? ??? "????? ???????? ??????? ???????"?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?????. ??? ?? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????????! ????? ????? ?????? ?????? R¨¦education? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????? La R¨¦volution Culturelle ???? ???? ?????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ??????! ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ????????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???????. ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ????????????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ???.
????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ????????? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????. ??? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? -??? ?? ??????- ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????. ?? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???????? ????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ???????. ?????? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ?????????? ??????? ????????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ????????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????.
????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? 1984 ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ????? ??: ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ?????! ??????? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??: ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????!
???? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????????! ?????? ??????! ?????? ????????????! ???????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????! ????? ?? ?????? ???????! ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????! ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????! ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????! ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????! ???? ???????? ???? ?????!
???? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ???????? ??????????. ?????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??????.
?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??????! ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? ??????? ???????.
???? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???????! ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????!
...
February 27, 2025
??? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ????? ???? ???????? ???? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ????. ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????. ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ??????.
?? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??????? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ????. ?? ????? ????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????????? ??? ???? ?? ?????. ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??????? ???, ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???????.
???? ??? ?? ???? ????????? ???????, ????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????, ????? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ????????, ??????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ???. ??? ?? ???? ????????? ?????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ???? ???????? ??????. ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ???????, ??? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ???????
??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ????, ????? ???? ??? ?????, ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?????. ?????? ????????, ????? ?? ???? ???? ????????, ????? ?? ????????, ?????? ????? ?????, ??????? ??????????, ????? ?????????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ??????. ??? ?????, ??????? ???? ????? ???? ???????? ????????, ???????? ?????? ???? ????? (????? ????). ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????, ?? ???? ???????? ???????.
???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ???????, ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????, ???? ??????? ????. ???? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????, ????? ????? ???????, ???? ??? ????????, ???? ???????? ??????. ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????????/??????????? ??? ???? ????? ????????, ?????? ??????? ????? ??????????. ??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???????? ????????. ??? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ????, ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ????.
???? ??????? ?????? ?????, ?? (????? ???) ??? ???? ???? ???????? ???????, ???? ????? ?????? ?????, ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????. ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ????? ???????. ???? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???????? ??? ????? ????? ?????. ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?????, ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??????. ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ???????, ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???.
???? ????????????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????, ????? ??? ????, ????? ???????, ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????. ???? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? (??????) ???? ???? ????. ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ???. ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????. ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ???????, ????? ??? ????????? ??????? ?? ?? ???, ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??????.
?? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????, ????? ????? ????? ????????? ???? ?????? ??????. ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??. ?????, ??? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? (????? ????????? ???), ??? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?????????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???????. ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ??????.
????? ???? ????? ?? ??????????, ???? ??? ?? ???. ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??????. ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????????? ?????????. ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??????, ?? ???? ?? ????? ??, ???? ?? ???? ????. ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ???????, ??? ????? ?? ????????, ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????????? ??????. ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ????.
?? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??????? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ????. ?? ????? ????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????????? ??? ???? ?? ?????. ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??????? ???, ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???????.
???? ??? ?? ???? ????????? ???????, ????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????, ????? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ????????, ??????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ????????. ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ???. ??? ?? ???? ????????? ?????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ???? ???????? ??????. ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ???????, ??? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ???????
??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ????, ????? ???? ??? ?????, ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?????. ?????? ????????, ????? ?? ???? ???? ????????, ????? ?? ????????, ?????? ????? ?????, ??????? ??????????, ????? ?????????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ??????. ??? ?????, ??????? ???? ????? ???? ???????? ????????, ???????? ?????? ???? ????? (????? ????). ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????, ?? ???? ???????? ???????.
???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ???????, ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????, ???? ??????? ????. ???? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????, ????? ????? ???????, ???? ??? ????????, ???? ???????? ??????. ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????????/??????????? ??? ???? ????? ????????, ?????? ??????? ????? ??????????. ??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???????? ????????. ??? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ????, ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ????.
???? ??????? ?????? ?????, ?? (????? ???) ??? ???? ???? ???????? ???????, ???? ????? ?????? ?????, ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????. ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ????? ???????. ???? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ???????? ??? ????? ????? ?????. ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?????, ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??????. ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ???????, ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?????. ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???.
???? ????????????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?????, ????? ??? ????, ????? ???????, ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????. ???? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? (??????) ???? ???? ????. ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ???. ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??????. ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ???????, ????? ??? ????????? ??????? ?? ?? ???, ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??????.
?? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????, ????? ????? ????? ????????? ???? ?????? ??????. ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??. ?????, ??? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? (????? ????????? ???), ??? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?????????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???????. ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ??????.
????? ???? ????? ?? ??????????, ???? ??? ?? ???. ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??????. ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????????? ?????????. ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??????, ?? ???? ?? ????? ??, ???? ?? ???? ????. ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ???????, ??? ????? ?? ????????, ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????????? ??????. ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ????.
June 26, 2024
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October 6, 2020
Cisnes salvajes es una de esas historias ¨¦picas cuyo viaje no deja de sorprenderte. Es de esos libros que te ense?an muchas cosas y te educan en otras tantas. Y son esos libros los m¨¢s importantes de leer. Siento que he aprendido mucho m¨¢s de lo que ya sab¨ªa de la historia de la China moderna, de los ¨²ltmo 100 a?os. Todas esas etapas de inestabilidad pol¨ªtica, que se solapaban una tras otra, explicadas maravillosamente bien.
La historia se va a centrar en la vida de tres mujeres, una abuela nacida en 1909, una hija nacida en 1931 y una nieta, autora del relato, que naci¨® en 1952. Un historia de tres grandes y poderosas mujeres a lo largo de tres generaciones, que tuvieron que sobrevivir a ¨¦pocas de guerras constantes. La fortaleza de las tres me ha calado completamente.
Yu fan, la abuela, nace en una familia humilde, que vive con la expectativa de poder conseguir un buen matrimonio para su hija. El padre maltrata a su madre y es una cosa que apena a Yu fan desde su m¨¢s tierna infancia. Lograr¨¢ casarse con un gran general de Kuomintag, el general Xue. Aunque realmente solo se convertir¨¢ en una de sus concubinas. Condenada a pasar gran parte de su matrimonio sola, tendr¨¢ que luchar para mantener a su hija con ella. Enviudar¨¢, huir¨¢, se enamorar¨¢ y volver¨¢ a casarse, salvar¨¢ a su madre del maltrato de su padre... Un sin fin de situaciones que la convierten en una mujer luchadora y adelantada a la ¨¦poca en la que vivi¨®.
De hong, la madre, fruto de la primera relaci¨®n de Yu fan, acabar¨¢ siendo adoptada por el segundo marido de esta, un bondadoso m¨¦dico llamado Xia. Poco a poco ir¨¢ interes¨¢ndose por el comunismo, hasta convertirse en una esp¨ªa secreta. Esto le llevar¨¢ a conocer a Shou yu, y ambos caer¨¢n r¨¢pidamente enamorados. Siendo ambos agentes, viviran muchas experiencias a lo largo de toda China, en nombre del comunismo. Juntos tendr¨¢n cinco hijos, y vivir¨¢n una de las peores ¨¦pocas de la China moderna.
Por ¨²ltimo, Jung, la hija y autora de la historia, nace como segunda hija y r¨¢pidamente desarrolla un amor por los libros. Con un caracter mucho m¨¢s tranquilo que su abuela o su madre, no le quedar¨¢ m¨¢s remedio que luchar por conseguir manterner la vida de sus seres queridos. Adem¨¢s de ser la gran protagonista de uno de los eventos m¨¢s interesantes ocurridos en China, la Revoluci¨®n cultural.
Estas tres mujeres nos van a llevar de la mano a conocer todos los cambios pol¨ªticos que se dieron en China en el ¨²ltimo siglo. Comenzando con la invasi¨®n japonesa de China, la cual se extendi¨® muchos a?os y acab¨® con el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El Kuomintang (el partido conservador) y el partido comunista de Mao, unieron fuerzas para lograr expulsar a los japoneses. Una vez esto conseguido, tuvo lugar la guerra civil entre ambas fuerzas para quedarse con el poder. Despu¨¦s de los destrozos provocados por los japoneses, el pa¨ªs tuvo que dividirse en dos para seguir batallando.
Aunque el Kuomintang result¨® ganador inicialmente, ya que dispon¨ªa de una mayor fuerza en n¨²mero de personas, el comunismo aprendi¨® a moverse en la sombra y logrando hacerse poco a poco con el apoyo de los campesinos, que en la mayor¨ªa de casos eran analfabetos. Finalmente los comunistas lograron expulsar de China al lider del partido conservador e implantar el Comunismo. Pero los a?os de felicidad donde todo parec¨ªa ir bien pronto caer¨¢n en el olvido, y es que Mao no es m¨¢s que un ni?o jugando a ser Dios. Vali¨¦ndose de las denuncias entre propios vecinos, amigos o familiares, Mao convirti¨® a todos en enemigos. Nadie estaba a salvo, ya que cualquiera pod¨ªa convertirse en v¨ªctima o verdugo. A?os despu¨¦s, ante el miedo de perder poder, Mao dar¨¢ comienzo a la Revoluci¨®n Cultural.
Me han parecido muy interesantes muchas cosas, pero una de las que m¨¢s ha destacado es la valent¨ªa de estas tres mujeres. Especialmente, la fortaleza de la madre en una ¨¦poca donde la individualidad de la persona no val¨ªa nada y si eras mujer, menos a¨²n. Ella se mov¨ªa para luchar por sus hijos, por su marido y por su madre, y no paraba hasta mantenerlos a salvo. ?Vaya mujer!
Tambi¨¦n es muy interesante ver el comunismo desde los ojos de personajes que participaron activamente en ¨¦l, que cre¨ªan en ¨¦l y como fueron cayendo en la decepci¨®n al descubrir lo que realmente era. Un caso muy obvio es el padre de la autora, un hombre de grandes valores, que antepon¨ªa esto a todo, y que finalmente cae en una profunda depresi¨®n al asumir el enga?o.
Es una historia dura, pero espectacular. No es f¨¢cil de leer, porque es densa, pero te deja una sensaci¨®n tan buena al acabarlo, que merece la pena el esfuerzo. Tengo la sensaci¨®n de que he aprendido mucho, no solo hist¨®ricamente hablando, tambi¨¦n en cuanto a sentimientos humanos. Es muy interesante ver como act¨²an, y porque lo hacen as¨ª. Por ejemplo, Jung, explica muchas veces que pese a ir descubriendo poco a poco la mentira del comunismo, no consegu¨ªa tener un pensamiento que pusiera en duda a Mao, ya que este era considerado casi un Dios y su palabra no pod¨ªa ni tan siquiera ponerse en duda. Los colegios solo educaban a sus alumnos en la ense?anza de Mao. Nada m¨¢s era importante.
En fin, que podr¨ªa estar meses hablando de este libro, porque es una joya enorme. Recomiendo much¨ªsimo que todo el mundo lo lea. Especialmente a los que est¨¦n interesados en conocer la historia de China y quien disfrute de personajes femeninos que dejan huella. Sin duda, es de lo mejor que he le¨ªdo este a?o.
La historia se va a centrar en la vida de tres mujeres, una abuela nacida en 1909, una hija nacida en 1931 y una nieta, autora del relato, que naci¨® en 1952. Un historia de tres grandes y poderosas mujeres a lo largo de tres generaciones, que tuvieron que sobrevivir a ¨¦pocas de guerras constantes. La fortaleza de las tres me ha calado completamente.
Yu fan, la abuela, nace en una familia humilde, que vive con la expectativa de poder conseguir un buen matrimonio para su hija. El padre maltrata a su madre y es una cosa que apena a Yu fan desde su m¨¢s tierna infancia. Lograr¨¢ casarse con un gran general de Kuomintag, el general Xue. Aunque realmente solo se convertir¨¢ en una de sus concubinas. Condenada a pasar gran parte de su matrimonio sola, tendr¨¢ que luchar para mantener a su hija con ella. Enviudar¨¢, huir¨¢, se enamorar¨¢ y volver¨¢ a casarse, salvar¨¢ a su madre del maltrato de su padre... Un sin fin de situaciones que la convierten en una mujer luchadora y adelantada a la ¨¦poca en la que vivi¨®.
De hong, la madre, fruto de la primera relaci¨®n de Yu fan, acabar¨¢ siendo adoptada por el segundo marido de esta, un bondadoso m¨¦dico llamado Xia. Poco a poco ir¨¢ interes¨¢ndose por el comunismo, hasta convertirse en una esp¨ªa secreta. Esto le llevar¨¢ a conocer a Shou yu, y ambos caer¨¢n r¨¢pidamente enamorados. Siendo ambos agentes, viviran muchas experiencias a lo largo de toda China, en nombre del comunismo. Juntos tendr¨¢n cinco hijos, y vivir¨¢n una de las peores ¨¦pocas de la China moderna.
Por ¨²ltimo, Jung, la hija y autora de la historia, nace como segunda hija y r¨¢pidamente desarrolla un amor por los libros. Con un caracter mucho m¨¢s tranquilo que su abuela o su madre, no le quedar¨¢ m¨¢s remedio que luchar por conseguir manterner la vida de sus seres queridos. Adem¨¢s de ser la gran protagonista de uno de los eventos m¨¢s interesantes ocurridos en China, la Revoluci¨®n cultural.
Estas tres mujeres nos van a llevar de la mano a conocer todos los cambios pol¨ªticos que se dieron en China en el ¨²ltimo siglo. Comenzando con la invasi¨®n japonesa de China, la cual se extendi¨® muchos a?os y acab¨® con el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El Kuomintang (el partido conservador) y el partido comunista de Mao, unieron fuerzas para lograr expulsar a los japoneses. Una vez esto conseguido, tuvo lugar la guerra civil entre ambas fuerzas para quedarse con el poder. Despu¨¦s de los destrozos provocados por los japoneses, el pa¨ªs tuvo que dividirse en dos para seguir batallando.
Aunque el Kuomintang result¨® ganador inicialmente, ya que dispon¨ªa de una mayor fuerza en n¨²mero de personas, el comunismo aprendi¨® a moverse en la sombra y logrando hacerse poco a poco con el apoyo de los campesinos, que en la mayor¨ªa de casos eran analfabetos. Finalmente los comunistas lograron expulsar de China al lider del partido conservador e implantar el Comunismo. Pero los a?os de felicidad donde todo parec¨ªa ir bien pronto caer¨¢n en el olvido, y es que Mao no es m¨¢s que un ni?o jugando a ser Dios. Vali¨¦ndose de las denuncias entre propios vecinos, amigos o familiares, Mao convirti¨® a todos en enemigos. Nadie estaba a salvo, ya que cualquiera pod¨ªa convertirse en v¨ªctima o verdugo. A?os despu¨¦s, ante el miedo de perder poder, Mao dar¨¢ comienzo a la Revoluci¨®n Cultural.
Me han parecido muy interesantes muchas cosas, pero una de las que m¨¢s ha destacado es la valent¨ªa de estas tres mujeres. Especialmente, la fortaleza de la madre en una ¨¦poca donde la individualidad de la persona no val¨ªa nada y si eras mujer, menos a¨²n. Ella se mov¨ªa para luchar por sus hijos, por su marido y por su madre, y no paraba hasta mantenerlos a salvo. ?Vaya mujer!
Tambi¨¦n es muy interesante ver el comunismo desde los ojos de personajes que participaron activamente en ¨¦l, que cre¨ªan en ¨¦l y como fueron cayendo en la decepci¨®n al descubrir lo que realmente era. Un caso muy obvio es el padre de la autora, un hombre de grandes valores, que antepon¨ªa esto a todo, y que finalmente cae en una profunda depresi¨®n al asumir el enga?o.
Es una historia dura, pero espectacular. No es f¨¢cil de leer, porque es densa, pero te deja una sensaci¨®n tan buena al acabarlo, que merece la pena el esfuerzo. Tengo la sensaci¨®n de que he aprendido mucho, no solo hist¨®ricamente hablando, tambi¨¦n en cuanto a sentimientos humanos. Es muy interesante ver como act¨²an, y porque lo hacen as¨ª. Por ejemplo, Jung, explica muchas veces que pese a ir descubriendo poco a poco la mentira del comunismo, no consegu¨ªa tener un pensamiento que pusiera en duda a Mao, ya que este era considerado casi un Dios y su palabra no pod¨ªa ni tan siquiera ponerse en duda. Los colegios solo educaban a sus alumnos en la ense?anza de Mao. Nada m¨¢s era importante.
En fin, que podr¨ªa estar meses hablando de este libro, porque es una joya enorme. Recomiendo much¨ªsimo que todo el mundo lo lea. Especialmente a los que est¨¦n interesados en conocer la historia de China y quien disfrute de personajes femeninos que dejan huella. Sin duda, es de lo mejor que he le¨ªdo este a?o.
Want to read
August 17, 2018How far could Chinese patriarchy go in the early twentieth century to make the lives of women sheer humiliation and misery? Here in Wild Swans we have that question tidily answered. This is a tale of the lives of three generations of Chinese women: the author, her mother and her grandmother. Author Jung Chang's grandmother had her feet bound¡ªa hideously painful process undertaken solely so that some man might one day find her lustworthy enough to take as a concubine. The years-long process of ¡ªof smashing the toes with a rock and binding them under the sole of the foot¡ªis thoroughly explained.
Author Chang's grandmother was thus encrippled and eventually traded off to a general of one of the factions vying for control of the country in 1920. All this so her wretch of a great-grandfather¡ªYang¡ªcould raise his own material status, buy land and accumulate concubines. I have read of stories purdah, the seraglio and Morman four-wiving, but never have I come across such a harrowing description of the degradation of women that I have found here.
Mind-numbing are the cruel stratagems of the concubines back at the family home to degrade Yang's first wife (Chang's great-grandmother) and freeze her out of her own home. I was aware of this social structure before through works by the writers , , , and others, but never have I had such a vivid picture of how the first wife/concubine pecking order played out in the daily life of a Chinese family as I've had here. It is beyond belief.
Then in 1930, released from her bond of concubinage on the death of the general, the grandmother¡ªwhose name Yu fang translates as jade fragrant flowers¡ªfalls in love with a Manchu doctor, who is determined to marry her as his wife. This sends his large family into conniptions since it means Jade will have to be accorded reverence in line with the doctor 's strict Manchu standards of filial respect. And at 65 he is almost three times her age. Perhaps if it weren't for his wealth there would be less of a fuss, but a new wife has implications for the eventual distribution of his estate's assets. In protest one of his sons shoots himself dead. This act of greed¡ªfor the family is worried only about its own dispossession, nothing more¡ªdrives Dr Xia to divide his possessions among his sons and move to a shack on the outskirts of Jinzhou which is a cholera epidemic waiting to happen. Yet there, he and Jade and the author's mother find some happiness despite the fact that the doctor is penniless and must start at the bottom. And all of the above in the book's first 44 pages!
Next we learn of the horrors committed during the ¡ªthe Japanese occupation of Manchuria, in which Jinzhou is located. Dr & Mrs Xia are able to save a friend from the Japanese by befriending the prison garroter, Dong, who promises them not to strangle the man fatally, only partially, so he'll look dead enough to be transported to the foul-smelling communal grave at the end of town. There, the Xias extract him from a tangle of bodies¡ªhe's still breathing¡ªtake him home and nurse him back to health. This man, Han-Chen, later goes to work for intelligence where he procures a membership ID for Mrs Xia's son which allows him to avoid military service and keep working in the doctor's medicine shop where he's most needed. He even gets Dong a job. After the war there were so many saved by Dong from the Japanese reaper in this way that survivors pooled their monies and bought the former executioner a little house for his retirement. Heroism takes strange forms.
The Japanese were defeated in 1945 and the second and concluding portion of the resumed. The author's mother now turns out to be this capable community organizer on the Communist side. She distributes propaganda. The Nationalist bigwigs are seen as corrupt and lacking discipline. The Communists were promising the populace things they would never deliver on, such as the retention of personal property. In Jinzhou, the author says, the Communists were perceived as innovators who would make the lives of the people better. Another sneaky thing the Communists did, while the Nationalists were busy fighting the Japanese, they intensified their propaganda and brought the people over to their side. Anyway, as you may know, neither side comes out smelling like a rose.
Need to finish
Author Chang's grandmother was thus encrippled and eventually traded off to a general of one of the factions vying for control of the country in 1920. All this so her wretch of a great-grandfather¡ªYang¡ªcould raise his own material status, buy land and accumulate concubines. I have read of stories purdah, the seraglio and Morman four-wiving, but never have I come across such a harrowing description of the degradation of women that I have found here.
Mind-numbing are the cruel stratagems of the concubines back at the family home to degrade Yang's first wife (Chang's great-grandmother) and freeze her out of her own home. I was aware of this social structure before through works by the writers , , , and others, but never have I had such a vivid picture of how the first wife/concubine pecking order played out in the daily life of a Chinese family as I've had here. It is beyond belief.
Then in 1930, released from her bond of concubinage on the death of the general, the grandmother¡ªwhose name Yu fang translates as jade fragrant flowers¡ªfalls in love with a Manchu doctor, who is determined to marry her as his wife. This sends his large family into conniptions since it means Jade will have to be accorded reverence in line with the doctor 's strict Manchu standards of filial respect. And at 65 he is almost three times her age. Perhaps if it weren't for his wealth there would be less of a fuss, but a new wife has implications for the eventual distribution of his estate's assets. In protest one of his sons shoots himself dead. This act of greed¡ªfor the family is worried only about its own dispossession, nothing more¡ªdrives Dr Xia to divide his possessions among his sons and move to a shack on the outskirts of Jinzhou which is a cholera epidemic waiting to happen. Yet there, he and Jade and the author's mother find some happiness despite the fact that the doctor is penniless and must start at the bottom. And all of the above in the book's first 44 pages!
Next we learn of the horrors committed during the ¡ªthe Japanese occupation of Manchuria, in which Jinzhou is located. Dr & Mrs Xia are able to save a friend from the Japanese by befriending the prison garroter, Dong, who promises them not to strangle the man fatally, only partially, so he'll look dead enough to be transported to the foul-smelling communal grave at the end of town. There, the Xias extract him from a tangle of bodies¡ªhe's still breathing¡ªtake him home and nurse him back to health. This man, Han-Chen, later goes to work for intelligence where he procures a membership ID for Mrs Xia's son which allows him to avoid military service and keep working in the doctor's medicine shop where he's most needed. He even gets Dong a job. After the war there were so many saved by Dong from the Japanese reaper in this way that survivors pooled their monies and bought the former executioner a little house for his retirement. Heroism takes strange forms.
The Japanese were defeated in 1945 and the second and concluding portion of the resumed. The author's mother now turns out to be this capable community organizer on the Communist side. She distributes propaganda. The Nationalist bigwigs are seen as corrupt and lacking discipline. The Communists were promising the populace things they would never deliver on, such as the retention of personal property. In Jinzhou, the author says, the Communists were perceived as innovators who would make the lives of the people better. Another sneaky thing the Communists did, while the Nationalists were busy fighting the Japanese, they intensified their propaganda and brought the people over to their side. Anyway, as you may know, neither side comes out smelling like a rose.
Need to finish
January 20, 2023
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September 24, 2023
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???? ?? ???? ???? ? ?????? ?? ? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ? ??????? ? ????????? ?????????? ???? ???? . ??? ?? 100 ?????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ? ??? ?? ???? ? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????? . ( ?????? ??? ???????? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?? ????? ???? . ???? ?? ????????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ????? ?? 100 ?????? ??? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??? . ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? . ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ???????? ????? ??? )
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????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ? ???? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ??? ? ???? ? ???? ???? ? ?? ??? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ???? . ??? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? . ???? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? .
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???? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???? ????????? ? ??? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ?? ? ??? ?????? ? ???? ????? ???? ??????? . ?? ?? ??? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??? ? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ( ?? ???? ??????? ) ???????? ???? ??? . ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ? ?????? ?????? . ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??? .
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??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ? ??????? ???? . ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ???? . ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? .??? ???? ????????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??????????? ? ?????????? ?? ????? ??? ? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ???? ???? ? ???????? ?? ??? . ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? . ???? ???? ??? ??? ? ?????? ?? ???? : ??? ???? ???? ? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? . ?? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ? ????? ????? ? ??? ????? ? ????? ????? ?? ????? . ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? ????? ? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? .
???????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????? . ???? ?? ?? ??? ???? ????? ? ????? ? ????? ???? ?? ???? . ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ?? . ??? ??? ???? ? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? . ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? . ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? . ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ???? .??? ? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ? ???? ???? .
???? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???? ? ????? ????? ????? ? ??????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???????? ? ??????? ?? ??????? . ???????? ?? ???? ???? ? ??? ? ?????? ? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??? .
????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ? ??? ?? ????? ??? ? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ? ????? ????? ???? .
???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ? ????? ???? ? ?? ?? ????? ? ?????? ????? ? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ? ???????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???? ? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ???? ??? ? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ? ????? ????? ????? ???? . ???? ?? ??? ? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???? ????.
August 5, 2018
Wild Swans presents the story of three generations in the life of the author's family, which covers most of the 20th century, as well as the amazing social, political and economic changes occurring in China as a whole. We move from the portrait of a concubine with bound feet to a woman who worked alongside her Communist Party husband to bring Party ideals to fruition, then on to the granddaughter who is among the first of her generation to be allowed to leave the country to study.
Along the way, there are the classics of any family story,love and hate, birth and death, marriage with unimaginable struggles, and gradual worsening of life on a regular basis. The details should be read. Most of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s have some memory of hardships in China. We really didn't know and it is important to know about the history of China, from pre-Communist times to the present as it explains so much.
Highly recommended as a big step in education about China in the 20th century through a personal history.
Addendum: I plan to read the introduction to the 2003 edition as I've heard it adds some valuable insights to the intro and epilogue available in the original 1991 edition I own.
Along the way, there are the classics of any family story,love and hate, birth and death, marriage with unimaginable struggles, and gradual worsening of life on a regular basis. The details should be read. Most of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s have some memory of hardships in China. We really didn't know and it is important to know about the history of China, from pre-Communist times to the present as it explains so much.
Highly recommended as a big step in education about China in the 20th century through a personal history.
Addendum: I plan to read the introduction to the 2003 edition as I've heard it adds some valuable insights to the intro and epilogue available in the original 1991 edition I own.
March 17, 2011
At a conference dinner some time in the mid-90s, I found myself sitting next to this extremely impressive Chinese woman researcher - bunch of frequently cited publications, well-read in three languages, manages to look gorgeous as well. I cast around for something to say.
"I liked that Wild Swans book," I hazarded. "Do you know it?"
She looked at me scornfully. "Any Chinese woman could have written that!" she replied. "There are a hundred million stories just like it."
I must admit I had a little trouble believing her. But would Professor Fung have lied to me? That seems even less plausible.
"I liked that Wild Swans book," I hazarded. "Do you know it?"
She looked at me scornfully. "Any Chinese woman could have written that!" she replied. "There are a hundred million stories just like it."
I must admit I had a little trouble believing her. But would Professor Fung have lied to me? That seems even less plausible.
November 25, 2023
Wild Swans is a candid and harrowing account of three remarkable Chinese women -grandmother, mother and daughter- but also gives us a very good picture of what China was like from the turn of the Century to the 1980's
We learn about the ancient culture of the Chinese which included much that was beautiful and some that seems cruel. We learn of the hope of so many Chinese that the overthrow of the Kuomintang would lead to a' just social order' but how it soon became clear that the worst excesses of the Kuomintang and those of Imperial China before that paled into insignificance compared to the hell on earth created by Mao's Chinese Communist Party
One is left aghast that a system can destroy even the most basic human instincts of decency and compassion while turning people into inhumane monsters totally possessed -as if by a demon - by a cruel and totally destructive system
It sends shivers down one's spine to realise that 'The Great Helmsman' Mao Ze Dong -who ranks with Hitler and Stalin as among the most evil men of the 20th century-had his image worn on T-shirts by 'progressive' students and youth in the west and these same young 'champions of equality' hung large pictures of Mao in their dormitory rooms .This at the same time as millions of Chinese were being slaughtered and physically and psychologically maimed on the orders of Mao and his Chinese Communist Party -as described in this book.
Today many in the West laud the economic 'reforms' towards a type of totalitarian 'capitalist' system but fail to remember that human rights have not improved at all and China is still a hideous and inhuman hell for hundreds of millions of its inhabitants. And the world turns a blind eye While we a re left asking how much longer the people of China will remain enslaved by their inhumane Communist masters. How Long?
But the book is also about the strength of the human spirit , about wonderful people-especially the three remarkable women who are the central characters of this book- as well as the cruel ones
It is a story of love and hate, strength and weakness , the beautiful and the ugly
But more than anything it is about how the human spirit can never in the end be crushed by cruelty, evil and tyranny
We learn about the ancient culture of the Chinese which included much that was beautiful and some that seems cruel. We learn of the hope of so many Chinese that the overthrow of the Kuomintang would lead to a' just social order' but how it soon became clear that the worst excesses of the Kuomintang and those of Imperial China before that paled into insignificance compared to the hell on earth created by Mao's Chinese Communist Party
One is left aghast that a system can destroy even the most basic human instincts of decency and compassion while turning people into inhumane monsters totally possessed -as if by a demon - by a cruel and totally destructive system
It sends shivers down one's spine to realise that 'The Great Helmsman' Mao Ze Dong -who ranks with Hitler and Stalin as among the most evil men of the 20th century-had his image worn on T-shirts by 'progressive' students and youth in the west and these same young 'champions of equality' hung large pictures of Mao in their dormitory rooms .This at the same time as millions of Chinese were being slaughtered and physically and psychologically maimed on the orders of Mao and his Chinese Communist Party -as described in this book.
Today many in the West laud the economic 'reforms' towards a type of totalitarian 'capitalist' system but fail to remember that human rights have not improved at all and China is still a hideous and inhuman hell for hundreds of millions of its inhabitants. And the world turns a blind eye While we a re left asking how much longer the people of China will remain enslaved by their inhumane Communist masters. How Long?
But the book is also about the strength of the human spirit , about wonderful people-especially the three remarkable women who are the central characters of this book- as well as the cruel ones
It is a story of love and hate, strength and weakness , the beautiful and the ugly
But more than anything it is about how the human spirit can never in the end be crushed by cruelty, evil and tyranny
July 17, 2024
????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ???? ??? 3 ????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????????? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ? ?????? ??? ???????? ? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????????? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ???????? ? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ?????????? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????? ? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ????????? ??? ???? ???????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? 1979 ??? ????? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ???? .
January 28, 2016
One of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Not only do I feel I got an honest history of communist China, its story plays out like a novel - I never wanted to put it down. Chang excels at pulling it together for you - showing you the differences between her Grandmother's life, her mother's life and her own, moving chronologically in a manner that makes such good sense. I completely followed it despite my absolute dearth of knowledge on the subject of China. I wept with her and felt an almost physical pain at the loss of such an ancient culture during the Maoist regime. I live in such an "easy" world, with freedoms I don't even consider being thankful for. Reading her family's story makes me look with a different perspective at my own life and the community and culture in which I was raised. I want to tell everyone about it.¡±
January 18, 2021
If you read only one book about twentieth century China, let this be the one. A mish-mash of personal memoir, family saga, history, feminist literature, and global and Chinese politics, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China covers it all vividly. The book covers the life of Jung Chang's grandmother, her mother, and herself over the course of a China that was constantly changing in response to the changing times and the challenges it was facing.
Chang starts off with her grandmother's story: a concubine to a feudal lord, she managed to escape to freedom with her daughter, Chang's mother, who, in turn, became a rebel and supported the communists. Chang herself appears to be the least rebellious of these three women, but that doesn't detract from her strength in facing the daily challenges of living in Communist China under Madman Mao.
One of the most interesting things I found about this book was how it seamlessly depicted the enormous changes that took place in within a hundred years. While the grandmother was fully immersed in traditional ways and superstitions, this gradually changed over the years. Another thing I really loved about this book is how Chang kept challenging the practice of Maoism by demanding why the status of women had not changed and why they were still subject to the old ideas and customs, despite the communist revolution. I loved how Chang managed to put her finger on the right places and ask the right questions.
While this book is a memoir of one single family, Chang makes the attempt to weave in the broader political and historical issues of the times wherever appropriate. This gives Wild Swans a much broader scope than most memoirs and provides a comprehensive understanding of Chinese history and politics over the last century. I really appreciated this as Chang has obviously taken the time to research many things and has managed to keep a distance between her own experiences and historical facts.
One last question that does remain to be answered: Why has China not eschewed Mao yet? It has been more than forty years since he died, and yet the official stance is one of reverence and deification. The idea apparently is that it would hurt the image of the Communist Party, but I genuinely fail to understand why. The best thing anyone can do is to show Mao in his full idiocy to the masses. But as it stands today, his body is preserved and revered. It's an insult to the entire country. I am not surprised Wild Swans is banned in China, as well as all of the other books by Chang.
If you have even a remote interest in China, Chinese people, Chinese history, or Chinese politics, this book is a must-read!
Chang starts off with her grandmother's story: a concubine to a feudal lord, she managed to escape to freedom with her daughter, Chang's mother, who, in turn, became a rebel and supported the communists. Chang herself appears to be the least rebellious of these three women, but that doesn't detract from her strength in facing the daily challenges of living in Communist China under Madman Mao.
One of the most interesting things I found about this book was how it seamlessly depicted the enormous changes that took place in within a hundred years. While the grandmother was fully immersed in traditional ways and superstitions, this gradually changed over the years. Another thing I really loved about this book is how Chang kept challenging the practice of Maoism by demanding why the status of women had not changed and why they were still subject to the old ideas and customs, despite the communist revolution. I loved how Chang managed to put her finger on the right places and ask the right questions.
While this book is a memoir of one single family, Chang makes the attempt to weave in the broader political and historical issues of the times wherever appropriate. This gives Wild Swans a much broader scope than most memoirs and provides a comprehensive understanding of Chinese history and politics over the last century. I really appreciated this as Chang has obviously taken the time to research many things and has managed to keep a distance between her own experiences and historical facts.
One last question that does remain to be answered: Why has China not eschewed Mao yet? It has been more than forty years since he died, and yet the official stance is one of reverence and deification. The idea apparently is that it would hurt the image of the Communist Party, but I genuinely fail to understand why. The best thing anyone can do is to show Mao in his full idiocy to the masses. But as it stands today, his body is preserved and revered. It's an insult to the entire country. I am not surprised Wild Swans is banned in China, as well as all of the other books by Chang.
If you have even a remote interest in China, Chinese people, Chinese history, or Chinese politics, this book is a must-read!
November 16, 2024
I listened to on audiobook. Memoir is my favorite genre, and it is a memoir like no other. Chang captures the lives of three generations of women: her grandmother, mother, and herself. It is both an intimate and a horrific look into the lives of these three women as they navigate the cultural, political, and misogynistic world.
Chang's grandmother was a concubine to a warlord. Foot binding and torture were everyday occurrences. Chang's mother was a cultural revolutionary which often put her life in danger. Many parts of the book were extremely difficult to listen to due to the brutality.
Chang's grandmother was a concubine to a warlord. Foot binding and torture were everyday occurrences. Chang's mother was a cultural revolutionary which often put her life in danger. Many parts of the book were extremely difficult to listen to due to the brutality.
March 5, 2012
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???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? !
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???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? !
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??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ??????
July 29, 2016
I enjoyed this a lot. Okay, maybe "enjoyed" isn't the right word seeing as there is death, torture, misery and a lot of general unfairness... but it was a compulsively readable book that made me grateful that I was born in the time and place I was. And it was an interesting education on Chinese history, politics and culture.
October 27, 2024
???????? ?? ???? ????
???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??????. ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???????? ? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ??????. ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ? ????? ??? ???? ????????? ???????? ? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ?????????.
???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???.
?? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??????.???? ??????? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ????????????? ? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ? ???? ??? ???? ?????.??? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ???.????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????.????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????.???? ?? ??? ? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?????.?????? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ??????? ? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?... ?? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????.?? ????? ?? ? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??????.??? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ? ???? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ? ???????? ???.?????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ???????! ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ???? ????? ? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ?? " ?????" ?????? ????? ?????? ? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ????? ? ??????? ??? ?????? ?... ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????.??????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ? ???? ????? ????? ? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ? ?? ??? ?????? ? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???.????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ? ??????? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ? ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???.
???? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? ??? 1379 ?? ????? ??? ? ????? ??? ???.
???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??????. ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???????? ? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ??????. ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ? ????? ??? ???? ????????? ???????? ? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ? ????? ????? ?? ?????????.
???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???.
?? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??????.???? ??????? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ????????????? ? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ? ???? ??? ???? ?????.??? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ???.????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????.????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????.???? ?? ??? ? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?????.?????? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ??????? ? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?... ?? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????.?? ????? ?? ? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??????.??? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ? ???? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ? ???????? ???.?????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ???????! ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ???? ????? ? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ?? " ?????" ?????? ????? ?????? ? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ? ????? ? ??????? ??? ?????? ?... ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????.??????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ? ???? ????? ????? ? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ? ?? ??? ?????? ? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???.????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ? ??????? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ? ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???.
???? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? ??? 1379 ?? ????? ??? ? ????? ??? ???.
May 30, 2013
Simply put, ¡°Wild Swans¡± is a poor man¡¯s .
Reason being that that while the initial chapters about ¡¯s grandmother are informative and interesting as it gives us a peek into the life of people in Pre-Communist China; as the book progresses, Chang¡¯s ignorance (as she was a little girl at that time) about the events happening around her becomes a permanent annoyance.
I am not saying that Chang was still ignorant about what happened in China during the ¡°Great Leap Forward¡± and ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± after she grew up; she definitely knows her history, but it seems that she has tried her level best to hide that in her book.
She would write something like, "My dad was very sad about the things that were happening in China but for me it was very difficult to understand it at that time.¡± And then she would start talking about something else without even clarifying her point. Even with the benefit of hindsight, it seems that she never really wanted to write in detail about the causes, reactions and outcomes of the events like ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡±.
Her book is what the title itself suggests, about three daughters of China, but it is only and only about the three daughters of China and I was expecting it to be a little more than that. Chang took her time to tell her story, 700 odd pages in all, so it¡¯s only fair to expect her to write more about China¡¯s history, but instead she chose to write about the flowers in the garden of the hospital where her father was being treated during the ¡°Cultural Revolution¡±.
Even Mme Mao and her ¡°Gang of Four¡±, the main perpetrators of ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡±, gets only a passing mention.
As a biography, Wild Swans is a good book. But if you want to read a detailed history of ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± and of China at that time, read by instead of this book. In my opinion, ¡°Life and Death in Shanghai¡± is the best book written on ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± and also one of the best autobiographies ever written.
If you are going to read both the books (which I did), I suggest you start with ¡°Wild Swans¡± first (which I didn¡¯t), because if you read ¡°Life and Death in Shanghai¡± before reading this book, chances are that you might end up appreciating ¡°Wild Swans¡± much less than what you might have been predicting at the start.
Reason being that that while the initial chapters about ¡¯s grandmother are informative and interesting as it gives us a peek into the life of people in Pre-Communist China; as the book progresses, Chang¡¯s ignorance (as she was a little girl at that time) about the events happening around her becomes a permanent annoyance.
I am not saying that Chang was still ignorant about what happened in China during the ¡°Great Leap Forward¡± and ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± after she grew up; she definitely knows her history, but it seems that she has tried her level best to hide that in her book.
She would write something like, "My dad was very sad about the things that were happening in China but for me it was very difficult to understand it at that time.¡± And then she would start talking about something else without even clarifying her point. Even with the benefit of hindsight, it seems that she never really wanted to write in detail about the causes, reactions and outcomes of the events like ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡±.
Her book is what the title itself suggests, about three daughters of China, but it is only and only about the three daughters of China and I was expecting it to be a little more than that. Chang took her time to tell her story, 700 odd pages in all, so it¡¯s only fair to expect her to write more about China¡¯s history, but instead she chose to write about the flowers in the garden of the hospital where her father was being treated during the ¡°Cultural Revolution¡±.
Even Mme Mao and her ¡°Gang of Four¡±, the main perpetrators of ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡±, gets only a passing mention.
As a biography, Wild Swans is a good book. But if you want to read a detailed history of ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± and of China at that time, read by instead of this book. In my opinion, ¡°Life and Death in Shanghai¡± is the best book written on ¡°The Cultural Revolution¡± and also one of the best autobiographies ever written.
If you are going to read both the books (which I did), I suggest you start with ¡°Wild Swans¡± first (which I didn¡¯t), because if you read ¡°Life and Death in Shanghai¡± before reading this book, chances are that you might end up appreciating ¡°Wild Swans¡± much less than what you might have been predicting at the start.
September 17, 2012
????? ????...????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???...
?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ''???? ?? ?? ???'' ???????? ??????? ''??? ??????''...??? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ??????...
??? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????...? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????...???? ???? ???? ?? ????...
??? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ...???? ????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??????...???? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?????!!
??? ????? ????????...?????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ????????? ??????? ???????? ...??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?????...
????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????... ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????...
?????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ???????... ????? ??? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?? ????...???? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????...????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? (??? ???????? ??????) ...??????? ??????? ? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ? ??????? ???????...??????? ?? ????? ??????? ??????...????? ?????...???? ?????? ?? ?????? ????????? ?????? ??????...??? ?? ??"????" ???? ?????...
?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??????...????? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ????????...??????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ???????...
??????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????????? ??? ?????? ??????...????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????...??????? ?? ?? ??? ????.
?????...???? ?????? ??????...???? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ???? ????.
????? ????... ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???????!!
?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ''???? ?? ?? ???'' ???????? ??????? ''??? ??????''...??? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ??????...
??? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????...? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????...???? ???? ???? ?? ????...
??? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ...???? ????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??????...???? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?????!!
??? ????? ????????...?????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ????????? ??????? ???????? ...??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ?????...
????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????... ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ????...
?????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ???????... ????? ??? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?? ????...???? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????...????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? (??? ???????? ??????) ...??????? ??????? ? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ? ??????? ???????...??????? ?? ????? ??????? ??????...????? ?????...???? ?????? ?? ?????? ????????? ?????? ??????...??? ?? ??"????" ???? ?????...
?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??????...????? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ????????...??????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ???????...
??????? ??????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????????? ??? ?????? ??????...????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????...??????? ?? ?? ??? ????.
?????...???? ?????? ??????...???? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ???? ????.
????? ????... ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???????!!
April 15, 2021
Libro interesante, pero denso, donde proliferan personajes, fechas y lugares de China.
Una visi¨®n, desde el punto de vista de nuestra protagonista, de como vivi¨® su familia todo este periodo hist¨®rico que arranca previo a la ascensi¨®n al poder de Mao.
A trav¨¦s de sus p¨¢ginas, veremos el cambio -y la destrucci¨®n- de una cultura tradicional, basada en la familia y un sistema feudal, previo a la invasi¨®n de los japoneses, a un sistema completamente r¨ªgido y despersolalizado como el que implant¨® Mao, donde lo que prima es el partido y el culto a su persona. Una cr¨ªtica feroz a una revoluci¨®n comunista, que comenz¨® con loables principios para pasar a ser la "revoluci¨®n -dictadura- de Mao", al control total, a la desinformaci¨®n y manipulaci¨®n con sus campa?as de propaganda, a la destrucci¨®n de la cultura y defensa de la ignorancia con su "Revoluci¨®n cultural", a sus grandes desaciertos pol¨ªtico-econ¨®micos como el "Gran Salto Adelante" que llevaron a la muerte por inanici¨®n de decenas de millones de chinos a principios de los a?os 60. Una ¨¦poca oscura de grandes enfrentamientos, en la que el pueblo se convirti¨® en juez y verdugo de sus propios vecinos y compa?eros, siempre bajo el temor y la presi¨®n de saber que los actos de uno/a ten¨ªan consecuencias sobre toda la familia.
Solo por todo lo que he aprendido de la historia de China me parece que ha valido la pena su lectura. Aunque sea la historia personal de Jung Chang y su famila, el trasfondo hist¨®rico est¨¢ presente en el libro.
Tambi¨¦n tengo que decir que el primer cuarto de libro me cost¨® mucho leerlo, no avanzaba, solo consegu¨ªa leer un par de cap¨ªtulos al d¨ªa. No s¨¦ si por el bombardeo constante de datos que intentaba asimilar, por el estilo de redacci¨®n o por la man¨ªa que acab¨¦ cogiendo a su abuelo y a su padre. En cuanto super¨¦ esa fase, no voy a decir que las p¨¢ginas volaban, pero s¨ª que te terminas de adaptar a la historia, se hace m¨¢s interesante y se agiliza el ritmo de lectura.
Por todo ello:
Valoraci¨®n: 7,25/10
Lectura: abril 2021
Una visi¨®n, desde el punto de vista de nuestra protagonista, de como vivi¨® su familia todo este periodo hist¨®rico que arranca previo a la ascensi¨®n al poder de Mao.
A trav¨¦s de sus p¨¢ginas, veremos el cambio -y la destrucci¨®n- de una cultura tradicional, basada en la familia y un sistema feudal, previo a la invasi¨®n de los japoneses, a un sistema completamente r¨ªgido y despersolalizado como el que implant¨® Mao, donde lo que prima es el partido y el culto a su persona. Una cr¨ªtica feroz a una revoluci¨®n comunista, que comenz¨® con loables principios para pasar a ser la "revoluci¨®n -dictadura- de Mao", al control total, a la desinformaci¨®n y manipulaci¨®n con sus campa?as de propaganda, a la destrucci¨®n de la cultura y defensa de la ignorancia con su "Revoluci¨®n cultural", a sus grandes desaciertos pol¨ªtico-econ¨®micos como el "Gran Salto Adelante" que llevaron a la muerte por inanici¨®n de decenas de millones de chinos a principios de los a?os 60. Una ¨¦poca oscura de grandes enfrentamientos, en la que el pueblo se convirti¨® en juez y verdugo de sus propios vecinos y compa?eros, siempre bajo el temor y la presi¨®n de saber que los actos de uno/a ten¨ªan consecuencias sobre toda la familia.
Solo por todo lo que he aprendido de la historia de China me parece que ha valido la pena su lectura. Aunque sea la historia personal de Jung Chang y su famila, el trasfondo hist¨®rico est¨¢ presente en el libro.
Tambi¨¦n tengo que decir que el primer cuarto de libro me cost¨® mucho leerlo, no avanzaba, solo consegu¨ªa leer un par de cap¨ªtulos al d¨ªa. No s¨¦ si por el bombardeo constante de datos que intentaba asimilar, por el estilo de redacci¨®n o por la man¨ªa que acab¨¦ cogiendo a su abuelo y a su padre. En cuanto super¨¦ esa fase, no voy a decir que las p¨¢ginas volaban, pero s¨ª que te terminas de adaptar a la historia, se hace m¨¢s interesante y se agiliza el ritmo de lectura.
Por todo ello:
Valoraci¨®n: 7,25/10
Lectura: abril 2021
January 3, 2020
A family memoir that is both educating and moving. Wild Swans is quite successful in mixing personal history with national one. That being said, I have to say that it was the personal history that interested me the most. Getting to know a bit more about the more recent history of China was certainly welcome, but what really moved me were the personal stories of the three generation of women from the Swan family.
This is definitely one of those books that are hard to forget. The writing style is simple, straightforward and elegant. The narrative follows the lives of three Chinese women in chronological order and it is written by the youngest of them. I loved getting to know each one of them, but perhaps the grandmother the most. As I said, their life stories are written down in a chronological way starting with the grandmother, moving onto the daughter and finishing with the granddaughter. There is so much going on in this book, that I have a feeling it would be difficult to follow if the narrative wasn't chronological.
For me personally, Wild Swans was a page-turner but one of a touching and profound kind. One of the most amazing thing about this book for me is that it is a non-fiction. It is hard to believe at times that so much can happen. Yet, life is said to be stranger than fiction. Reading it, I kept thinking " Oh, this really happened!". Perhaps some aspects of this book are what could be called stylized autobiography and perhaps some parts were left out, but I personally don't care. I was quite happy with the book as it is and feel no need to question the author about the petty details or wonder if she perhaps changed some event to make it more favorable to her family. I know some readers expressed their doubts over her parents keeping out of communist purges but you know what? Memory is partly subjective and this is a memoir not a history book. I think we shouldn't question author so much. I truly believe that Jung Chang told her story (and those of two other generations of her family) in a truthful and honest way.
This is a memoir and a very personal one. Having read it, I felt as if I had established some kind of personal relationship with the narrator of the book. Perhaps it is because of the way the story is told, in a very simple way, very similar to the way friends tell their stories between themselves. I guess that the photographs play a role too. Being able to see the female protagonists of this memoir makes them seem even more real. This is certainly one of the most intimate memoirs I have ever read, perhaps even the most intimate one. There is something so honest about the narrative voice, one feels this authors doesn't want to hide anything. She writers about the good and the bad. To me it makes this book seem quite honest and objective.
The connection between female family members is at the center of the book and I like how the author focused on those family ties. You can feel the connection between family members and the love "the wild swans" feel for each other. The special and sometimes complex connection between a mother and a daughter is described honestly but warmly.
¡°When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself: 'If you have love, even plain water is sweet.¡±
Personally, this was one of the most emotionally engaging reading experiences. The range of emotions was great, at times I feared for the heroins of this book and at times I laughed at their ingenious actions. I felt bewildered, surprised, sad, melancholic, fascinated, amused and happy while I read this novel. I actually can't think of an emotion that I didn't experience.
There is a lot of historical and cultural information in this book. It would be an interesting read for anyone interested in Asian culture. If you enjoy reading this book, you'll found out a way to learn about modern history of China. The author is very critical towards some political figures (Mao) and towards the dark side of communism. Although I found this part of her writing interesting, it was the human aspect of the book that impressed me the most. I would go so far as to call this book an ode to women's spirit.
This is definitely one of those books that are hard to forget. The writing style is simple, straightforward and elegant. The narrative follows the lives of three Chinese women in chronological order and it is written by the youngest of them. I loved getting to know each one of them, but perhaps the grandmother the most. As I said, their life stories are written down in a chronological way starting with the grandmother, moving onto the daughter and finishing with the granddaughter. There is so much going on in this book, that I have a feeling it would be difficult to follow if the narrative wasn't chronological.
For me personally, Wild Swans was a page-turner but one of a touching and profound kind. One of the most amazing thing about this book for me is that it is a non-fiction. It is hard to believe at times that so much can happen. Yet, life is said to be stranger than fiction. Reading it, I kept thinking " Oh, this really happened!". Perhaps some aspects of this book are what could be called stylized autobiography and perhaps some parts were left out, but I personally don't care. I was quite happy with the book as it is and feel no need to question the author about the petty details or wonder if she perhaps changed some event to make it more favorable to her family. I know some readers expressed their doubts over her parents keeping out of communist purges but you know what? Memory is partly subjective and this is a memoir not a history book. I think we shouldn't question author so much. I truly believe that Jung Chang told her story (and those of two other generations of her family) in a truthful and honest way.
This is a memoir and a very personal one. Having read it, I felt as if I had established some kind of personal relationship with the narrator of the book. Perhaps it is because of the way the story is told, in a very simple way, very similar to the way friends tell their stories between themselves. I guess that the photographs play a role too. Being able to see the female protagonists of this memoir makes them seem even more real. This is certainly one of the most intimate memoirs I have ever read, perhaps even the most intimate one. There is something so honest about the narrative voice, one feels this authors doesn't want to hide anything. She writers about the good and the bad. To me it makes this book seem quite honest and objective.
The connection between female family members is at the center of the book and I like how the author focused on those family ties. You can feel the connection between family members and the love "the wild swans" feel for each other. The special and sometimes complex connection between a mother and a daughter is described honestly but warmly.
¡°When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself: 'If you have love, even plain water is sweet.¡±
Personally, this was one of the most emotionally engaging reading experiences. The range of emotions was great, at times I feared for the heroins of this book and at times I laughed at their ingenious actions. I felt bewildered, surprised, sad, melancholic, fascinated, amused and happy while I read this novel. I actually can't think of an emotion that I didn't experience.
There is a lot of historical and cultural information in this book. It would be an interesting read for anyone interested in Asian culture. If you enjoy reading this book, you'll found out a way to learn about modern history of China. The author is very critical towards some political figures (Mao) and towards the dark side of communism. Although I found this part of her writing interesting, it was the human aspect of the book that impressed me the most. I would go so far as to call this book an ode to women's spirit.
February 20, 2008
We bought this book before a trip to Beijing in 2005, but Amazon was particularly slow with their delivery and it arrived just a couple of days before our departure. My husband began reading the book on the plane (and even though the book is banned in China, our bags weren't searched so our copy made it into the country without any problem), but didn't finish it until well after we'd returned home. At that point, my interest had waned a bit. In addition, I just don't like to read "sad" books, and my husband had told me some of the more tragic events in the book, so I chose not to read it.
When Wild Swans was chosen as our book group book (by a woman who is somewhat of a Chinese history scholar), I began reading with reluctance. The first half of the book took me a very long time to read, but the second half, I had a hard time putting down. I wondered if I had become hardened to all of the sorrow and suffering, but I think the second half was more compelling because it was when the author began telling her story, from her point of view, and it was easier to put myself into the story (and thus, more heartbreaking).
The writing is first-rate, and I appreciate the epilogue and the introduction to the 2003 edition (which I recommend reading AFTER you've read the book) which chronicle some of the author's difficulties in initally facing her past in China. It is a courageous book, with honest and emotional portrayals of a time in history that is still so little understood by the Western world. I, for one, am grateful to Jung Chang for sharing her family's stories.
I love the pictures of the author and her family that are included in the 2003 edition. I spent the first part of the book frustrated that the edition didn't include a map of China, only to discover that there is a great map in the BACK of the book. These extras, along with the timeline and family tree, help the non-Chinese reader keep track of names and places.
I wish I had been able to read the book before going to China. I think it would have given me a more acurate lense through which to see people and places. But, late is better than never, and I'm so glad to have read the book now.
When Wild Swans was chosen as our book group book (by a woman who is somewhat of a Chinese history scholar), I began reading with reluctance. The first half of the book took me a very long time to read, but the second half, I had a hard time putting down. I wondered if I had become hardened to all of the sorrow and suffering, but I think the second half was more compelling because it was when the author began telling her story, from her point of view, and it was easier to put myself into the story (and thus, more heartbreaking).
The writing is first-rate, and I appreciate the epilogue and the introduction to the 2003 edition (which I recommend reading AFTER you've read the book) which chronicle some of the author's difficulties in initally facing her past in China. It is a courageous book, with honest and emotional portrayals of a time in history that is still so little understood by the Western world. I, for one, am grateful to Jung Chang for sharing her family's stories.
I love the pictures of the author and her family that are included in the 2003 edition. I spent the first part of the book frustrated that the edition didn't include a map of China, only to discover that there is a great map in the BACK of the book. These extras, along with the timeline and family tree, help the non-Chinese reader keep track of names and places.
I wish I had been able to read the book before going to China. I think it would have given me a more acurate lense through which to see people and places. But, late is better than never, and I'm so glad to have read the book now.
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