Jung Chang's Narrative "Wild Swans:

Jung Chang's narrative "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" is an autobiographical narrative of the author's family history that spans three generations of women. Her story spans the period from the late-Qing dynasty China to Mao ZeDong's communist government of the 20th century. This book presents an ideal opportunity to observe the role of women within three subsequent Chinese generations. During the Qing Dynasty, women had little influence in society. Jung Chang's grandmother was a concubine to General Xue in 1924.

During this era, women were treated as little more than objects, and they were not given any significant rights during this era. Her grandmother was a beautiful young girl who had her feet tied and lived to serve General Xue. Women within this era clearly did not have significant control over their own lives. Their marriages were arranged by their parents and women were oftentimes bartered in exchanges and other forms of trade. During the Kuomingtang era, women's role in society expanded substantially.

Jung explains that her mother worked within the communist underground and married a young communist who eventually became an official in Chengdu. The role of women in this era was expanded to the greater liberties permitted under Kuomingtang governance. They shared in the burdens of their husbands and had greater control over their lives, and their relationships. However, they were still severely limited especially in relation to the workplace. Finally, during the era of communism, women.