Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China

The story of China’s most famous sisters. From the author of the bestseller “Wild Swans,” the most widely read book about China in the world—yet banned in China.

While the country, over a century, went through difficult periods of war, revolution, and radical transformations, three Shanghai-born sisters Sun were at the center of power—and each of them left an indelible mark on history.

The eldest sister, Qinglin, married “the father of the Republic of China” Sun Yat-sen, and after the fall of Chiang Kai-shek, she served as Mao Zedong’s deputy.

The younger sister, Meiling, became the wife of Chiang Kai-shek—the first lady of the anti-communist nationalist China and one of its key political figures.

The older sister, Ailing, was Chiang Kai-shek’s unofficial chief adviser and one of the richest women in China.

Even a saying exists about the sisters in China: “One loved money, one loved power, and one loved China.” They enjoyed enormous privileges and fame, but they also lived under constant deadly danger. They remained emotionally close even when they chose opposing political camps.

This is a story of love, war, intrigue, courage, brilliance, and betrayal that takes us on a journey from China to Hawaii, from Hawaii to New York, from Japan to Berlin, and also to secret conference rooms in Moscow, residences of the communist elite in Beijing, and the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that alternates between intimate and epic, author Jung Zhang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape 20th-century China.

The book made the shortlist of the British Historical Writers’ Association award in the nonfiction category (2020).

The author’s books have been translated into 40 languages and sold 15 million copies worldwide.