Jung Chang - Living through Cultural Revolution and the Crimes of Mao

<p>A true honor to speak with Jung Chang.</p><p>She is the author of <em>Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China</em> (sold 15+ million copies worldwide) and <em>Mao: The Unknown Story</em>.</p><p>We discuss:</p><p>- what it was like growing up during the Cultural Revolution as the daughter of a denounced official</p><p>- why the CCP continues to worship the biggest mass murderer in human history.</p><p>- how exactly Communist totalitarianism was able to subjugate a billion people</p><p>- why Chinese leaders like Xi and Deng who suffered from the Cultural Revolution don't condemn Mao</p><p>- how Mao starved and killed 40 million people during The Great Leap Forward in order to exchange food for Soviet weapons</p><p>Wild Swans is the most moving book I've ever read. It was a real privilege to speak with its author.</p><p>Watch on <a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/-VeZp2d7mDs">YouTube</a>. Listen on <a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jung-chang-living-through-cultural-revolution-and/id1516093381?i=1000636931465">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XJRFIvfRetdzq3pffmMUL?si=FGzMVzV1QfSbZl522jD5_g">Spotify</a>, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dwarkeshpatel.com/p/jung-chang">here</a>. Follow <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/dwarkesh_sp">me on Twitter</a> for updates on future episodes.</p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>(00:00:00) - Growing up during Cultural Revolution</p><p>(00:15:58) - Could officials have overthrown Mao?</p><p>(00:34:09) - Great Leap Forward</p><p>(00:48:12) - Modern support of Mao</p><p>(01:03:24) - Life as peasant</p><p>(01:21:30) - Psychology of communist society</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.dwarkeshpatel.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">www.dwarkeshpatel.com</a>