Jung Chang, the acclaimed author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and Mao: The Unknown Story, has spoken of the devastating personal cost of writing truthfully about China's regime. Her mother, Xia De-hong, died in Chengdu on 15 April 2026 at the age of 94, but Chang was unable to be at her bedside due to the threat of imprisonment by Beijing authorities.
Chang's books, which critically examine China's political history, have made her a target of the regime. A new law introduced in 2018 criminalises damaging the reputation of the regime's heroes, making it impossible for Chang to return to China without facing arrest. Her mother, aware of the dangers, had urged her not to risk returning, even for her deathbed.
In a poignant account, Chang describes their final moments together via a mobile phone screen. Despite being on a ventilator and unable to speak, her mother's eyelids quivered when Chang asked if she could feel her presence. Chang spent over 20 minutes with her mother virtually, kissing her cheek through the screen and stroking her face. She describes a profound sense of peace after the call, grateful for the gift of connection despite the physical distance.
Chang reflects on her mother's courage during the Cultural Revolution, when she stood by her husband, Chang's father, who was arrested and tortured for opposing Mao. Her mother endured detention, hard labour, and humiliating 'denunciation meetings', yet she never wavered in her support for her family. It was her mother's stories that inspired Chang to write Wild Swans, which became one of the bestselling non-fiction works of all time.
The last time Chang saw her mother in person was in 2018, before the new law made it impossible to return. Despite the heartache, Chang says her mother's final gift was enveloping her with peace, allowing her to say goodbye in a way that transcended borders and threats.
