Wild Swans

The book “Wild Swans- the Three Daughters of China” authored by Jung Chang sold over 13 million copies left me exasperated. Published in 1991 it was translated into 30 languages. Of late I haven’t read any book which is so poignant, gripping and intense. The biography vividly describes series of upheavals faced by the main land China. It spans from the early twentieth century and describes major political, economical, socio-cultural transitions that shook the land home for over 90 million people.  I was awestruck by the sheer audacity of the three generation of the Women in the family of the author- her grandmother, mother and herself. The family memoir gives a detailed picture of the socio-cultural setup of China received highest acclaim across the World for the veracity of facts was unfortunately banned in China.

It opens a Pandora box that sheds light on the queasy details about their idolised leader Mao Zedong. The book provides an insight into the trials and tribulations faced by China and how rigorously native leadership worked to jealously guard its sovereignty threatened by the imperialist Japan.  In early twentieth century Chinese society was marred by glaring class discrepancies and rampant corruption of the government officials magnified it further. The memoir starts off with descriptions of the life of women around 1890 and dwells deeply about the early childhood of her grandmother. Traditionally women with bound feet were highly favoured in China as author narrates the grief of her grandmother whose feet remained bound from an age of 2 years with a 20 feet long cloth all along through the day and were let loose at night before sleep. The gruesome practice was aimed at restricted growth of feet by tucking the toes of the feet under the sole and tying them with a cloth. Weights were placed on feet to prevent the arch from protruding. Women with bound feet because of the vulnerability were believed to induce a feeling of protectiveness from the onlooker. The custom was so much in vogue that in those days groom’s parents would first examine the feet of the bride before marriage. Further, powerful and influential men were allowed to have any number of concubines and often the richness of a man was assessed by the number of concubines he possessed. While a legally wedded wife was given royal treatment, concubines in spite of going through the rituals of authentic marriage were not guaranteed any proprietary. 

The greedy father of author’s grandmother marries her off as a concubine to a Major General who was several years elder. Early traumas for her grandmother begin with the marriage and then she remains an outcast after the death of the Major General who by then is mother of 2 year old daughter. Fortunately, the grandmother discovers a true love in a doctor, a widower, who is 40 years elder to her. This second marriage creates a commotion in the extended family of the doctor and his immediate family comprising of sons, daughters and grandchildren disowns him. After going through a phase of utter poverty and depravation the family settles down respectably over a period of time in Manchuria. The Manchurian province of China during that period was politically turbulent with Japan struggling to retain its strong hold. This phase culminated with the end of Second World War when depleted Japan had acceded its territories, moved away its troops from China. This transition phase witnessed rise of two native leaderships trying to wrest their control over China. These include the Communists and the Kuomintang. In the meanwhile, the author’s mother who was very bright, fearless and undaunted woman slowly associates herself to the communist party working to throw away the Kuomintang from the main land China.

Jung Chang describes the pathetic state of affairs that took a huge toll on China and its people during the entire turn of events. Rampant poverty, lawlessness, corruption and espionage broke the backbone of the economy. Though Communists managed to wrest control over China after a civil war, they were hell bent on obliterating all traces of Kuomintang. In this pursuit, all the individuals, associations and the people who have worked under Kuomintang were tortured, executed and penalised heavily. They were literally hunted down. Simultaneously they aspired to revamp the traditional Chinese society with their socialist ideology. Inspired by the humanistic approach of the Communists author’s mother decides to completely dedicate herself to the party ideologies. She then meets an intelligent, hardworking and ardent follower of the Communist ideology and marries him. Soon the married couple worked aggressively for the party’s ideologies. Since they are in party’s ambit all their actions needed approval and were under constant surveillance. There was no place for privacy and the budding relationship began to bear the brunt of ideology. The young couple were not allowed to live together, they weren’t allowed to make personal decisions, were forced to live in dormitories and had to eat in the community canteens. These strict measures began to take a toll on the relationship. Slightest self indulgences were touted as offences and were forced to write self-criticism notes. All the members were subjected to severe scrutiny by the party and were forced to explain themselves for any deviant behaviour during meetings.

Author’s father being an ardent communist refused to make slightest concessions to her mother even during pregnancy. Rigours ordeals and tenuous marching camps along the mountainous areas without rest resulted in abortion of their first child. During the early days when communists attained power, all the items were rationed and individuals were granted only requisite amount of supplies for a month. Even minute aspects like sharing of hot water allotted to spouse were condemned. But situation began to improve when author’s father began to steadily climb the hierarchy. By the time author was 6 years old her parents were allotted a spacious apartment, kids had a wet nurse and were travelling by car. Peasants during the early phase of Communist rule were happy as they hugely benefitted by the community kitchens backed by collective farming that ensured good share of food to all farmers.

Meanwhile, Mao announced a hundred flowers policy in 1956 which was aimed at providing greater freedom to arts, literature and scientific research. The country more or less functioned like a dictatorship endowing very little freedom to people. For a period of one year, country enjoyed little relaxation following which in 1957 Mao appealed to intellectuals to criticize officials giving an impression that country is becoming modern and democratic. Wary of Hungarian kind of uprising against communist regime Mao employed this ploy and solicited views of the educated community. Unaware of Mao’s tactics, intellectuals enthusiastically expounded their views and were subsequently labelled as “rightists”. About half million of such individuals from all walks of life were effectively purged off from their jobs and sent off to country side to do manual jobs. Their families were treated as second-class citizens. Mao thus effectively annihilated opposition as all voices were completely silenced.

Soon things began to take an ugly shape following overwhelming obsession of Mao to make steel collectively. While the objective of transforming the traditionally agrarian society of China through rapid industrialisation collectively is worthy, the path adopted to achieve it was utterly ridiculous. Accordingly, people were prohibited from cooking food at home and all the fuel supplies were supposed to be used to incessantly burn the furnace to make steel. All the scrap metal be it furniture, spare parts or whatever were collected and thrown into the furnace for producing steel. While kids were expected to collect the metal pieces along roads, parks etc adult were expected to keep the furnace burning uninterruptedly. Farmers too were not spared, they were ordered to cut down trees and with collectively efforts indulged in making steel. This ludicrous effort prevented farmers from working in fields. Subsequently, crop yields drastically fell. Since trees were indiscriminately felled to feed the burning furnaces, rainfall became erratic. Finally the event ended in a catastrophe initially leading to famine during 1958 to 1961 and resulting in the death of around 40 million people. Alarmed officials who sent distress signals to Mao were severely denounced. Soon even party officials who assessed the negative effects of Great Leap Forward began to criticize Mao and soon he was marginalised. Mao came up with the idea of Cultural Revolution in 1966 spear headed by his wife Jiang Qing designed to assert his control over China.

The movement which spread like a wild fire was taken over paramilitary force of students who assumed the name of Red Guards and carried out the objectives of the revolution. With an aim of establishing absolute authority of Mao the agitation was expected to eliminate “capitalist-roaders” in other words- dissidents in party cadres, scholars, official and intellectuals. The movement also called for destruction of four olds-old customs, culture, habits and ideas. Overpowered by the support from the Chairman Mao students went on rampage and anything/ anyone objectionable to the principles enunciated by Mao were destroyed. Having beautiful lawns, pleasurable lives, poetry, art forms, enjoying a tea in coffee shops were all considered “bourgeois” and pulled down. Life soon became insipid, dull and moreover violent. Even the traditional structures, paintings, monuments, artefacts, books in the library with classical literature were ruined. During this period avowed communists who served and worked for the country alarmed by the ruthless destruction began writing to the higher ups in the party questioning the credence of the movement. Author’s father Chang wrote directly to Mao apprising him of the sad state of affairs becoming the hot target of the Red Guards.

Instantaneously, Chang, head of the Yibin province was extricated from his official duties, condemned during the denunciation meetings where he was forced to accept his mistake. During the meetings, he was publicly humiliated, head half tonsured, brutally beaten, assaulted and thrashed but he remained intransigent. Similarly author’s mother was hunted down for her distant relations with the Kuomintang official during her youthful days. She too was tortured and made to kneel on the broken pieces of glass. Later she was under detention for an undisclosed period of time. Chang was emotionally shaken as his unstinted devotion towards the communist ideology was questioned and tormented. He soon became insane but was denied of treatment and rehab as he was stamped as capitalist-roader. In the meanwhile, all the children of capitalist-roaders were packed off to country side especially to counties in hills and assigned menial and arduous jobs. Thus the family of seven was separated and thrown off into different places. Unable to bear the atrocities suffered by each of the family members’ grandmother finally succumbed to an untreated disease. Unable to bear the rampant cruelty, torture and suspicion several thousands have committed suicides. Even Chang burdened by the abuse, mistrust and incriminated for obstinately sticking to communist ideology died in 1972. The revolution which lasted for almost a decade resulted in persecution of 1.5 million people and lives of several millions were brutally trampled. Economy was reduced to tatters and destabilised the country socially. Curtains finally rolled over the entire massacre with the death of Mao in 1976. Jung Chang who was a brilliant student with her sheer intelligence managed to get scholarship to study in West. She was the first Chinese Woman to obtain a Ph.D and then settled in London.

The sheer high-handedness, strict control and flagrant repression of fundamental rights like the freedom of expression, speech and liberty of the citizens by the government sheds light on the unheard stories and darkest days of the Communist China. The bone chilling episodes and extent of brutality sent shivers across the spine. The cries of hapless people tried for no fault of theirs evokes pity. As Citizens of largest democracy it is time we be eternally grateful to the system which has bestowed on us the priceless treasure of fundamental rights. The book reminded me of the loud admonitions of the Indian Elite and Leftist intellectuals who crib about the liberal setup of India and tries to downplay it more often. Significantly the author concludes that “He (Mao) was as evil as Hitler or Stalin and did as much damage to mankind as they did”. But he was smart enough to pass off European despots without much condemnation and without denting his image.

 

 

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