I loved this book. It is about human struggle to live a life worth living. Yes, it is much more that a story of the three protagonist females and definitely much more than a history of China's twentieth century. The book spans the three generations of Jung Chang and we see how each member of her family made their choices during good and bad times which ultimately defined their lives.
If I had to tell the story of this book to a ten year old, it would go like this. Once upon a time there was beautiful girl named Yu-fang. Her father was an evil man. To get a promotion in his job he married off his daughter General Xue Zhi-heng as a second wife (concubine). General Xue was frequently out of town to bravely fight many wars. On the sixth year of their marriage, the couple were blessed with a girl and they named her Bao Qin. But soon after the birth of this child, General Xue passed away. Yu-fang had to return to her evil father's home, where she with her mother was raising her daughter. In these difficult times, she met a (not-so-young) Dr. Xia. Dr. Xia was divorcee with three grown up sons and one daughter, all married. These youngsters were unhappy at the prospect of getting a step mother (trust me, Cinderella has ruined it for all step mothers). Even though Yu-fang was a lovely woman who only wanted to live in a comfortable and caring household, she was looked upon like a gold digger by her step children. Due to family strife, Dr. Xia, Yu-fang and Bao Qin moved to another district (Chiang Kai-shek). Bao Qin grew up in a liberal atmosphere, where Dr. Xia treated her almost like a son. She was sent to school, given all the freedom to read different books and even become a Communist. It was in Bao Qin's growing years that she witnessed fall of Japan, Kuomintang days of corruption and finally the Communist Rule. In the formative days of Mao's China, the young Bao Qin met Comrade Wang Yu and that was the beginning of a Revolutionary marriage. Comrade Yu was a devout Communist, who wholly believed in Communism to the extent of being insensitive to his family's needs. He was honest to fault and was always ready to do anything for the well being of his countrymen. Whoever said that of all kinds of marriages love marriage was the easiest, was an idiot. The young couple's ideological differences caused them a lot of pain, but they worked on their marriage and soon their family grew to include four kids, one of them was Jung Chang -- the author of the book. The kids were raised in the loving care of their grandmother Yu-fang while their parents toiled very hard as members of the Communist Party (akin to the job of a civil servant in India) to create a China of their dreams. The family witnessed Anti-Rights campaign, the great famine of China, rise and fall of cult of Mao, the dark hours of cultural revolution. This was the period when Comrade Yu realized that Mao's China was not the same as his China. His growing disillusionment with the Party led him to say anti Mao statements for which he and his wife faced many punishments. The family broke away geographically and at one time everyone was living in different places. This cruel time turned Jung Chang into a teenager adult. From idolizing Mao, she transformed into one of his fiercest critics. It is a touching read on how a naive girl got over her starry ideas to see a grayer world. She took responsibility for caring her grandmother first and then her mother and father. In these difficult times, she found solace only in books. (if my students are reading, please note that many people (like Jung Chang) find time to do a lot of things with studies) Eventually, with the death of Mao and as some sanity returned in China, the family (at least most members of the family) went on to see some happy days.
The beauty of the book is that it shows the good and bad of every person/situation and how we interpret the character or the circumstance is completely up to us. The page turning story aside, this book opens up our minds to a plethora of questions. After the cruel Japanese and the corrupt Kuomintang, was not Communist the ideal antidote to the problems in China? Did the seemingly noble system of Communism fail due to the monstrous ego of Mao? Will every system which tries to organize society fail because human beings are fallible? Does the famous Chinese reticence to foreigners stem from their upheavals in domestic economy? Is it not admirable how the Communist Party of China has achieved some of its goals like literacy and health outcomes in spite of the system's deficiencies? Is "privilege" a dirty word? What is a good life? I have found my answers to these questions in this book. I hope you find yours.
The beauty of the book is that it shows the good and bad of every person/situation and how we interpret the character or the circumstance is completely up to us. The page turning story aside, this book opens up our minds to a plethora of questions. After the cruel Japanese and the corrupt Kuomintang, was not Communist the ideal antidote to the problems in China? Did the seemingly noble system of Communism fail due to the monstrous ego of Mao? Will every system which tries to organize society fail because human beings are fallible? Does the famous Chinese reticence to foreigners stem from their upheavals in domestic economy? Is it not admirable how the Communist Party of China has achieved some of its goals like literacy and health outcomes in spite of the system's deficiencies? Is "privilege" a dirty word? What is a good life? I have found my answers to these questions in this book. I hope you find yours.