Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Chang was born on March 25, 1952, in her father’s hometown of Yibin, though she lived nearly all her formative years in Chengdu. As the daughter of Communist Party officials, she enjoyed privileges and had a sheltered childhood. On academic merit alone, she won admission to elite primary schools, where she loved and excelled in her studies, demonstrating superior intelligence and dedication. She felt love from her family, and she always had friends, but she was happiest in solitude when she had her own private space to read and engage her mind. In 1964, during the period of her Maoist indoctrination, she took the name Jung, an ancient word for “martial affairs,” because she thought it suited the spirit of the times by reflecting her eagerness to fight for Mao (271).

China’s Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966 when Chang was 14 years old, destroyed nearly everything she loved. Mao’s crusade against Party officials deemed “capitalist roaders” eroded her family’s relative security. Her parents ended up in detention camps. At one point, the seven members of her immediate family, including her parents and four siblings, were scattered in six different places across the province.