What is wild swans summary?

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a historical memoir written by Chinese author Jung Chang. The book depicts the tumultuous events of twentieth-century China through the lives of three generations of women: the author's grandmother, mother, and herself. It is an epic tale of family, love, and survival against a backdrop of political upheaval and societal change.

The story begins with the author's grandmother, Yu-fang, who was sold into a prominent family at the tender age of 15 and eventually became a concubine to a warlord. The author's mother, Bao Qin, grew up during the early years of Communist rule and later joined the People's Liberation Army. Finally, Jung Chang herself spent much of her youth in the Cultural Revolution, where she witnessed firsthand the destruction of Chinese heritage, cultural identity, and individual lives. Throughout the book, Jung Chang interweaves her family's stories with the larger historical events and provides vivid details about the harsh realities of life under the Communist Party.

Wild Swans is considered a groundbreaking work of non-fiction that offers a rare, intimate and compelling insight into China's recent past. The book has been translated into more than thirty languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide.