Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial reaction to reading about three generations of Chinese women experiencing such drastically different yet equally oppressive systems? How does Chang’s multi-generational approach compare to other political memoirs you’ve encountered, such as How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa?

2. How effective did you find Chang’s decision to structure the narrative chronologically through three women’s lives rather than focusing solely on her own experiences?

3. Chang’s journey concludes with her departure to Britain in 1978, emphasizing a sense of both escape and loss. How did you feel about this ending, and what emotions did it evoke about both her personal liberation and what she left behind?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What moments in your own life have required you to submit to authority figures or systems you questioned? How do your experiences compare to the different forms of submission Chang’s family faced across the decades?

2. Chang’s father constantly chose Party loyalty over family needs, causing strain in his marriage. Think about times when you’ve had to balance competing loyalties in your own relationships. How did you navigate these conflicts, and what insights does his struggle offer?

3. What parallels do you see between Chang’s gradual awakening from Maoist indoctrination and your own experiences of interrogating beliefs or systems you once accepted without question? What role did education or exposure to new ideas play in your journey?

4. Chang’s mother endured years of separation from her children and husband due to political persecution. Consider a time when external circumstances forced you apart from loved ones. How did you maintain those connections, and what sustained you during that period?

5. The author describes how books and learning English opened her mind to new possibilities and ultimately led to her escape. Reflect on a book, subject, or skill that significantly expanded your worldview. How did this new knowledge change your perspective or life direction?

6. Chang’s grandmother witnessed her daughter putting political ideology above family traditions and relationships. Have you experienced generational conflicts where different values or priorities created tension within your family? How did these differences play out?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Mao’s regime used youth movements like the Red Guards to enforce political control and dismantle traditional culture. Looking at contemporary political movements worldwide, where do you see similar tactics being employed, and what concerns does this raise?

2. How do the methods Mao used to control information and create his cult of personality compare to the ways authoritarian leaders today manipulate media and public opinion? What lessons from Chang’s experience feel most relevant to our current global political climate?

3. Throughout the book, Chang explores the way traditional Chinese culture—from literature to architecture—was systematically suppressed during the Cultural Revolution. How do you see similar cultural preservation versus destruction playing out in today’s political and social movements, and what do you think we risk losing or gaining?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What significance do you find in Chang choosing to open with her grandmother’s foot-binding and concluding with her own flight to freedom? How do these bookends illuminate the broader themes of submission and liberation that run throughout the narrative?

2. Chang weaves together personal family history with major historical events spanning nearly seven decades. How does she balance intimate family moments with sweeping political analysis? Which approach did you find more compelling, and why?

3. What do you make of the complex relationship between Chang’s parents, particularly how their different approaches to Communist ideology affected their marriage? How does Chang use their relationship to explore the broader tension between personal desires and political demands?

4. How does Chang present the relationship between Mao as an individual dictator and the ordinary citizens who carried out his destructive policies? What does her analysis suggest about personal responsibility versus systemic oppression?

5. What role do books and literacy play throughout the three generations as sources of both oppression and liberation? How does Chang use education and reading as symbols of resistance and hope?

6. Consider Chang’s evolution as a narrator from an indoctrinated child to a critical observer of her society. Trace how her voice and perspective shift throughout the book, and analyze what this development reveals about the process of intellectual awakening.

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Picture yourself creating a documentary about one of the three women featured in this memoir. Which woman would you choose as your central focus, and what specific episodes from her life would you highlight to capture both her individual story and the broader historical context?

2. Suppose you could interview Chang’s father during his final years in Chengdu after his release from the labor camp. What questions would you ask him about his experiences, his choices, and his reflections on the Communist Party he had served so faithfully?

3. Chang’s story ends in 1978 when she arrives in Britain, but she lived there for decades before writing this memoir. Write a paragraph imagining what her first year in London might have been like. How do you envision her process of adjusting to life in a completely different political and cultural system?