The Good Fight Jung Chang on A Personal History of China
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Feb 7, 2026 
Jung Chang, bestselling author and historian known for Wild Swans, reflects on China through personal and family stories. She discusses how intimate narratives reveal broader history. Conversations cover enduring mistrust in family life, traditions like foot binding, the rise of communism and its betrayals, and why many young Chinese now reject marriage and romantic ties.
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Personal Stories Animate History
- Writing personal family stories makes history feel immediate and relatable to readers.
- Jung Chang says individual narratives reveal emotions and decisions that broad histories miss.
A Grandmother's Bound Feet
- Jung Chang describes seeing her grandmother's bound feet and the lifelong pain they caused.
- The foot binding started when her grandmother was two and was justified as necessary to secure a husband.
Recurring Themes Of Distrust
- Chinese literature often emphasizes pettiness, distrust, and familial cruelty across eras.
- Jung Chang links these themes to longstanding social customs and the absence of a universal ethic of kindness.
