“The summer of 1950 was the hottest in living memory, with high humidity and temperatures above 100 F. My mother had been washing every day, and she was attacked for this, too. Peasants, especially in the North where Mrs. Mi… — Jung Chang Copy Share Image
“So the story of Wild Fox Kang’s attempted coup and murder of Cixi lay in darkness and obscurity for nearly a century, until the… — Jung Chang Copy Share
My father said he was going to write to the Jinzhou City Party Committee asking for permission to 'talk about love'...My mother supposed it… — Jung Chang Copy Share
For anyone to open their heart, they need the right atmosphere, and something to prompt them. For my mother it was her trip abroad:… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“Meanwhile, Mme Mao and her cohorts were renewing their efforts to prevent the country from working. In industry, their slogan was: "To stop production… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“I was extremely curious about the alternatives to the kind of life I had been leading, and my friends and I exchanged rumors and… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“Unlike most founding dictators—Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler—Mao did not inspire a passionate following through his oratory, or ideological appeal. He simply sought willing recruits among… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“MAO TSE-TUNG, who for decades held absolute power over the lives of one-quarter of the world’s population, was responsible for well over 70 million… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“mosquito-netted open windows was an enormous privilege. ‘You must not think you are superior to them,’ he would say. ‘You are just” — Jung Chang Copy Share
When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself:… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“Poverty drove their parents to have them castrated as young children, hoping they would earn a better living at court. Usually the father would… — Jung Chang Copy Share
I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me… — Jung Chang Copy Share
If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“The Manchus drank tea with a lot of milk. In her case, the milk came from the breasts of a nurse. Cixi had been… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“According to tradition, my great-grandfather married early, at 14, with a woman six years older. It was considered to be one of the duties… — Jung Chang Copy Share
“When I heard about the ease with which the Four had been removed, I felt a wave of sadness. How could such a small… — Jung Chang Copy Share
