Scan barcode
A review by femmefatigue
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang
4.0
As with all of her books, Jung Chang gives a fascinating glimpse into Chinese history in Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister.
Some reviewers have complained that the book focuses more on the Soong sisters' infamous spouses than it does on the sisters themselves, but I think that while it does look at the lives of Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek through the lense of their partners (Ching-ling and Mei-ling), ultimately it's these womens' stories that Jung Chang is focused on.
I also thought it was a deeply interesting insight into the corruption, insecurity, and plainly flawed humanity of these hugely influential Chinese historical figures. It gave a strong impression of the sense of familial piety that can often drive financial corruption, but also of the plain vanity and greed that drove the "Father of China" S.Y.S and dictator of Taiwan C.K.S.
It was also really interesting to see some of the blind motivations behind the New Life Movement that the Chiangs headed, almost wilfully ignoring the root problem of mass poverty in China. I felt like a lot of this book gave an insight into the way political leaders engage with society and the people (or don't), and it often had me considering the motivations that drive political leaders today.
If I were to fault it, I'd say maybe some of the information can be a little dry at times, and naturally, the book doesn't have quite the same emotional weight that Wild Swans does - but I can't say I necessarily expected it to, since Wild Swans was autobiographical.
Ultimately, I thought it was a really interesting book, and I can't wait to move onto her other works, like the biographies she wrote on Mao and Empress Cixi.
Some reviewers have complained that the book focuses more on the Soong sisters' infamous spouses than it does on the sisters themselves, but I think that while it does look at the lives of Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek through the lense of their partners (Ching-ling and Mei-ling), ultimately it's these womens' stories that Jung Chang is focused on.
I also thought it was a deeply interesting insight into the corruption, insecurity, and plainly flawed humanity of these hugely influential Chinese historical figures. It gave a strong impression of the sense of familial piety that can often drive financial corruption, but also of the plain vanity and greed that drove the "Father of China" S.Y.S and dictator of Taiwan C.K.S.
It was also really interesting to see some of the blind motivations behind the New Life Movement that the Chiangs headed, almost wilfully ignoring the root problem of mass poverty in China. I felt like a lot of this book gave an insight into the way political leaders engage with society and the people (or don't), and it often had me considering the motivations that drive political leaders today.
If I were to fault it, I'd say maybe some of the information can be a little dry at times, and naturally, the book doesn't have quite the same emotional weight that Wild Swans does - but I can't say I necessarily expected it to, since Wild Swans was autobiographical.
Ultimately, I thought it was a really interesting book, and I can't wait to move onto her other works, like the biographies she wrote on Mao and Empress Cixi.