Jung Chang

Date of Birth: March 25, 1952

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Biography

Jung Chang is a renowned Chinese-British writer and historian, best known for her critically acclaimed works that explore the history and culture of China. She was born on March 25, 1952, in Yibin, Sichuan Province, China. Chang’s early life was profoundly influenced by the Cultural Revolution, an experience that would later fuel her writing. She moved to the United Kingdom in 1978 to study, and in 1982, she became the first person from the People’s Republic of China to earn a PhD from a British university (University of York). Her most famous book, “Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China,” published in 1991, is a family memoir that spans three generations of women in her family, providing a poignant and detailed account of 20th-century China. The book has sold over 13 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 40 languages. In addition to “Wild Swans,” Chang has co-authored with her husband, Jon Halliday, “Mao: The Unknown Story,” a highly critical biography of Mao Zedong that challenges many previously held views about his leadership. Her other notable work includes “Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China,” a biography that reinterprets the life and legacy of one of China’s most controversial figures.

5 Interesting Facts about Jung Chang

1. Chang’s “Wild Swans” was banned in mainland China due to its critical stance on the Cultural Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party.

2. She received her PhD in Linguistics from the University of York in 1982, making her the first person from the People’s Republic of China to be awarded a doctorate by a British university.

3. Despite her fame, Chang has not returned to live in China since she left in 1978, citing the political climate as a deterrent.

4. “Mao: The Unknown Story,” which she co-authored with her husband, took over a decade to research and write.

5. Chang has been a vocal advocate for human rights and has often spoken out against censorship and political repression in China.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Jung Chang

1. “I feel perhaps the only genuine way to know China is to read about it.”

2. “History is shaped by the people who write it.”

3. “In China, the past is still very much alive and directly affects the present.”

4. “Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature is dumb, science is crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.”

5. “To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.”