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Annoushka Ducas:
I'm Annoushka Ducas and welcome back to My Life in Seven Charms. For me, there are so few things
which
can evoke a memory like a tiny detailed charm. In this new series, I'll be meeting seven
extraordinary
women and hearing their stories through this very special 18-karat gold biography. In this episode,
we'll be meeting best-selling writer, Jung Chang.
Jung Chang:
I always loved writing when I was a child, but when I was growing up in China in the 1950s, '60s and
'70s, it was impossible even to dream of becoming a writer. And then in 1988, my mother came to stay
with me. For the first time, she told me the stories of her life and stories of my grandmother, her
relationship with my father, and after she left, I wrote Wild Swans and I became a writer.
Annoushka Ducas:
Writer, historian, educator and someone who shone a light for millions of people
around the world onto the recent history of China, Jung was born 14 years
before the Chinese culture revolution began. Her family experiencing hardships that you and I could
only imagine. Her memoir, Wild Swans, telling the story of growing up under Mao's regime went on to
sell more than 13 million copies worldwide yet, her success has come at personal cost. Her books
banned in her homeland to which she is unable to return, separating Jung from her beloved mother.
I'm truly humbled to hear her story firsthand.
Annoushka Ducas:
I'm delighted to welcome the truly inspirational Jung Chang to My Life in Seven Charms. Thank you so
much.
Jung Chang:
Well, thank you. Thank you for inviting me and thank you for making this wonderful things out of the
objects each of which reminds me of a period of my life and very close to my heart.
Annoushka Ducas: