Becoming Madame Mao

356 Pages·2000·38.897 MB·English

by  Anchee Min

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF
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An astonishingjourneyinto
China's recentpast."
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PRAISE FOR
Becoming Madame Mao
"Anchee Min's exqu—isite new novel unfolds like a ribbon ofgleam-
ing, luminous silk soothing in its beauty, mesmerizing in its var-
iations, startling, delightful and ultimately transformative in a way
that only the best works ofart can aspire to be An astonishing
. . .
journey i—nto China's recent past and the lives of its most notable
leaders." LosAngeles Times
"Extraordinary with operaticgrace, Min portrays MadameMao
. . .
as a vindictive powermongerwhose apparentheartlessness iscoun-
tered by a craving for love . . —. Min lets her be seen as never before.
Bottom line: riveting novel." People
"A wild, passionate, and fearless American writer."
—
New York Times
"Bold, innovative . . —. Min does a fine job of presenting Madame
Mao unvarnished." Mirabella
"A convincing, nuanced portrait of a damaged personality . . . Min
makes it clear that Madame Mao never had as great a role as the
one she wrote for herselfand played in her own skin."
—
Entertainment Weekly
"Amagnificentbook:consequential,significant,beautiful.Thebook
has everything in its favor. The—story is gripping. The style is sim-
ple and graceful. The themes love, war, conquest, domina—tion,
violence, feminism, communism, individualism, and power are
sweeping . . . The true heroine is writer—Anchee Min."
San Diego Union-Tribune
"A fascinating, edgy portrait of a woman who brought misery to
—
herselfand untold millions." USA Today
"In brief, urgentvignettes movingloosely between the firstandthird
person,Minhaswrittenwhatmightbecalledanimaginarymemoir,
an evocation of a woman—who was by turns larger than life and
viciously small-minded." San Francisco Sunday Chronicle
"[This] deftportrayal ofYunhe's blindambition andtheterriblesuf-
fering ofthe Chinese people is unusually rewarding."
—
Dallas MorningNews
—
"Sheer poetry." Wall StreetJournal
"This colorful treatment of a woman whose ruthless power would
earn her notoriety as China's 'White-Boned Demon' is the type of
approach one would expect from Min Min paints the moment.
. . .
Ambitionandattractionsound—amutualchord.Thefinalemergence
ofMadame Mao has begun." DenverPost
"Evocative and colorful sensual and witty."
. . . —
St. Petersburg Times
"Part love story, part political epic, Becoming Madame Mao stun-
ningly reveals the haughty beauty who emerged from her struggles
tobecomet—hemostpowerful,feared,andultimatelydespisedwoman
in China." Elle
—
"Dazzling makes history sensual." US Weekly
. . .
"A fascinating, powerful novel about a complex woman who ap-
peared to be the new breed of emancipated Chinese woman but
who was, at heart, as constrained as ifher feetwere still bound."
—
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Becoming
Madame Mao
BOOKS BY ANCHEE MIN
RED AZALEA
KATH ERI NE
BECOMING MADAME MAO
Becoming
Madame Mao
Mm
Anchee
^
A MarinerBook
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
BOSTON NEW YORK
•
To Lloyd with all my love
FirstMarinerBooksedition2001
Copyright©2000byAncheeMin
Allrightsreserved
Forinformationaboutpermissiontoreproduceselectionsfrom
thisbook,writetoPermissions,HoughtonMifflinCompany,
215 ParkAvenueSouth,NewYork,NewYork 10003.
VisitourWebsite:www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Min,Anchee,date.
BecomingMadameMao/AncheeMin.
p. cm.
isbn0-618-00407-6
isbn0-61—8-12700-3 (pbk.)
1.Chia—ngCh'ing—, 1910 Fiction.2.—Spousesof—headsof
state —China Fiction. 3.China —History— 20th
century Fiction. 4.—Marriedw—omen China Fiction.
5.Statesmen China Fiction. I.Title.
PS356—3.14614B43 2000
813'.54 dc2i 99-058520
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
BookdesignbyRobertOverholtzer
qum 10 987654321
ii
You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.
—
Brihadaranyaka Upanishads iv.4.5