Jung Chang
Kirsty Young's castaway is writer Jung Chang.
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the author Jung Chang. Jung was born in the years after Mao came to power in China and as a child she took part in the Great Leap Forwards by collecting saucepans and nails and trying to melt them down for steel. She was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution and witnessed her parents being denounced and sent to labour camps.
After Mao's death she came to Britain as a student. At the time, she says, she didn't want to think about the past - it used to give her nightmares and so she would pretend she was from Korea. But 10 years after her arrival in Britain, her mother came to visit. She told Jung the stories of her and her grandmother's lives and Jung decided their intimate, family history deserved to have a wider audience. Her book, Wild Swans, has sold more than 12 million copies and won a host of awards.
Investigating her own life and those of her mother and grandmother not only brought the suffering of a nation into sharp focus it was also a liberating experience - once the book was finished, she says, the nightmares stopped.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: But Thou Didst Not leave His Soul in Hell by George Frideric Handel
Book: First Love by Ivan Turgenev
Luxury: Snorkelling gear.
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Music Played
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Les Moines de l鈥檃bbaye de Notre Dame of Ganagobie
The Kyrie X111
- Gregorian chants.
- Music Club.
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Castaway's Favourite
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George Frideric Handel
But thou didst not leave (from Mesiah)
Soloist: Stuart Burrows Orchestra: The London Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Karl Richter
- Handel Messiah.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
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Xu & Wang Wenjuan
The Dream of the Red Chamber
- Shanghai Opera.
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Fr茅d茅ric Chopin
Nocturne in C Sharp Minor
Soloist: Fou Ts鈥橭ng
- Nocturnes Volume 1: Fou Ts鈥橭ng.
- CBS.
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Wang Xiangrong
The Boatman of the Yellow River
- North Shaanxi Folk Songs.
- CRC.
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Ben Webster
One for the Gov'nor
Soloist: Ben Webster
- For the Gov鈥檔or.
- Affinity.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Missa Brevis - Kyrie
Choir: The Regensburg Cathedral Choir Orchestra: The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Rafael Kubelik
- Coronation Mass: Mozart.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
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Billie Holiday
Lady Sings the Blues
- Jazz En Verve. Vol 1.
- Verve.
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Book Choice
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First Love - Ivan Turgenev
Luxury Choice
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Snorkelling gear
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Kirsty Young |
| Interviewed Guest | Jung Chang |
Broadcasts
- Fri 16 Nov 2007 09:00麻豆社 Radio 4
- Christmas Day 2007 07:00麻豆社 Radio 4
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