Author Jung Chang has said she was unable to be at her mother's deathbed in Chengdu, China, on 15 April 2026, because the Beijing regime had been threatened by her books, including 'Wild Swans' and 'Mao: The Unknown Story'. Her mother, Xia De-hong, died aged 94.
Chang recalled her mother’s bravery during the Cultural Revolution, when she stood by her husband despite pressure to disown him. Xia De-hong endured detention, hard labour and forced denunciations, including being made to kneel on broken glass. She later obtained a note from Premier Zhou Enlai that secured her husband’s release, which she hid and used years later to secure his full rehabilitation.
That rehabilitation allowed Chang to leave China in 1978 to study abroad. Her mother later recorded 60 hours of stories that inspired 'Wild Swans'. Chang said she owes her life as a writer to her mother.
The last time Chang saw her mother in person was in 2018. After a new law was introduced threatening imprisonment for damaging the reputation of regime heroes, Chang faced certain arrest if she returned. Her mother told her not to come back for her death.
On 14 April, Chang saw her mother via mobile screen as she lay under a ventilator. Chang kissed the screen and stroked it, asking if her mother could feel her. Her mother's eyelids moved in response. Chang felt calm after the call; her mother died hours later.
