'Fly, Wild Swans" explores a changing China and its impact on her family

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published February 3, 2026 at 12:07 PM EST

The cover of "Fly, Wild Swans" beside author Jung Chang. (Courtesy of Globalflair LTD)

Jung Chang‘s 1991 bestselling book “Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China” told the story of her grandmother, mother, and herself surviving China’s upheavals, including World War II, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

Now she continues the story in “Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China.”

Chang joins host Scott Tong to talk about the book.

Book excerpt: ‘Fly, Wild Swans’

By Jung Chang

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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