Wild Swans

I just finished reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang. Jung Chang grew up in Mao China and it is a story of her family. This is a very powerful book and I suggest it to everyone who wants to learn more of what it is like to live without freedom.

I'll just mention a few things I have learned from this book.

Mao used the people to keep his control over the country. Once he felt a group was getting to powerful he would stir up the masses against them to have them removed. There was much class warfare during his reign. After his death the officials in China tried to punish those that carried out the terror but it was difficult since most the terror was carried out by the masses.

One part of society he attacked was the family. Families were tore apart as members were assigned to various work projects around the country. Even when working in the same city couples may not be allowed to see each other. Children were often raised by government entities as the parents lived at their offices. During different times couples were only allowed to see each other once a week and at one time it was limited to 12 days a year. Not having parents around allowed Mao to brainwash the children who often carried out his dirty work.

Many other parts of society were attacked such as all culture (music, art, theater, etc..), history, books, education and anything that may cause free thought. For a six year period there was no schooling. Mao was always against education.

In this so called classless society you standing in society relied on who you knew. People were often punished because of who they were related to or someone they were friends with when they were young. When the author first arrived in Britain she was shocked at how there seemed to be no classes in Britain. This was because all people were free to move about and go about their lives, not just those in power.

The thing that scared me the most in this book was the use of class warfare to destroy the nation. I often see that going on in our own country today when I hear how it is all about the poor and the worker being abused and that the wealthy are all evil. This is the same tactic Mao used to bring about his reign of terror by causing the people to split and fight.