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Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China (2019)

by Jung Chang

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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2467109,822 (3.93)19
They were the most famous sisters in China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the center of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history. Red Sister, Ching-ling, married the 'Father of China', Sun Yat-sen, and rose to be Mao's vice-chair. Little Sister, May-ling, became Madame Chiang Kai-shek, first lady of pre-Communist Nationalist China and a major political figure in her own right. Big Sister, Ei-ling, became Chiang's unofficial main adviser - and made herself one of China's richest women. All three sisters enjoyed tremendous privilege and glory, but also endured constant mortal danger. They showed great courage and experienced passionate love, as well as despair and heartbreak. They remained close emotionally, even when they embraced opposing political camps and Ching-ling dedicated herself to destroying her two sisters' worlds. Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is a gripping story of love, war, intrigue, bravery, glamour and betrayal, which takes us on a sweeping journey from Canton to Hawaii to New York, from exiles' quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that is by turns intimate and epic, Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China.… (more)
  1. 00
    The Last Empress, Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China by Hannah Pakula (susanbooks)
    susanbooks: Chang leaves all politics out so, for instance when Sun Yat-sen launches a rebellion, she puts it down to a personal fit of pique, rather than a decades-old social movement. This lack of context makes her book melodramatic & soap operatic. Pakula packs in detailed history, gets her chronology straight, educated me on that place/time. Different bios for different audiences/moods… (more)
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» See also 19 mentions

English (6)  Swedish (1)  All languages (7)
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
Easy to read and follow but lacks the emotional story of Wild Swans. ( )
  mumoftheanimals | Jan 31, 2023 |
This covers the biographies of the Soon sisters, one of which married Sun Yat-sen, one who married Chiang Kai-shek, and the eldest who married one of the wealthiest men in China and who, through corruption, built that wealth into an even bigger fortune. The sisters all came from immense privilege, and remained remarkably loyal to each other despite vast differences in their political leanings.

This is a fascinating story of a family who remained at the center of power in China for almost a century. ( )
  etxgardener | Nov 10, 2021 |
A very good book to read if needing an update on Chinese history. However the story of this family left me completely disinterested. Such horrible people,! Living a very privileged life with no regard for the welfare of their fellow countrymen. All they wanted was power and money. And to think we were taught that Chiang Kai-shek was such a hero...... ( )
  lesleynicol | Feb 13, 2021 |
This is a highly readable and entertaining book. Well researched and interpreted, the author shows restraint by presenting an unbiased version of a very complex period in China’s history. Reflecting the political climate, I expect the research material was more accessible for the two ‘western’ sisters. Red Sister was a little harder to get to grips with, and her motivations less understood, perhaps due to limitations with information sources.
Well worth reading. ( )
  MatthewFrend | Jun 30, 2020 |
Fascinating, readable and highly accessible history of modern China and story of three womens' lives. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from Jung Chang. ( )
1 vote bostonbibliophile | Jun 15, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Jung Changprimary authorall editionscalculated
Ho, CatherineNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To my mother
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The best-known modern Chinese 'fairy tale' is the story of three sisters from Shanghai, born in the last years of the nineteenth century.
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They were the most famous sisters in China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the center of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history. Red Sister, Ching-ling, married the 'Father of China', Sun Yat-sen, and rose to be Mao's vice-chair. Little Sister, May-ling, became Madame Chiang Kai-shek, first lady of pre-Communist Nationalist China and a major political figure in her own right. Big Sister, Ei-ling, became Chiang's unofficial main adviser - and made herself one of China's richest women. All three sisters enjoyed tremendous privilege and glory, but also endured constant mortal danger. They showed great courage and experienced passionate love, as well as despair and heartbreak. They remained close emotionally, even when they embraced opposing political camps and Ching-ling dedicated herself to destroying her two sisters' worlds. Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is a gripping story of love, war, intrigue, bravery, glamour and betrayal, which takes us on a sweeping journey from Canton to Hawaii to New York, from exiles' quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that is by turns intimate and epic, Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China.

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