The Good Women of China

Hidden Voices

By: Xinran

Narrated by: Cindy Kay

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

An unprecedented, intimate account of the lives of modern Chinese women, told by the women themselves—true stories of the political and personal upheavals they have endured in their chaotic and repressive society

For eight groundbreaking years, Xinran hosted a radio program in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous throughout the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. Centuries of obedience to their fathers, husbands, and sons, followed by years of fear under communism, had made women terrified of talking openly about their feelings. Xinran won their trust and, through her compassion and ability to listen, became the first woman to hear their true stories.

This unforgettable book is the story of how Xinran negotiated the minefield of restrictions imposed on Chinese journalists to reach out to women across the country. Through the vivid intimacy of her writing, these women confide in the listener, sharing their deepest secrets. Whether they are the privileged wives of party leaders or peasants in a forgotten corner of the countryside, they tell of almost inconceivable suffering: forced marriages, sexual abuse, separation of parents from their children, extreme poverty. But they also talk about love—about how, despite cruelty, despite politics, the urge to nurture and cherish remains. Their stories changed Xinran’s understanding of China forever. Her book will reveal the lives of Chinese women to the West as never before.

©2002 by the Good Women of China Ltd. (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Well written, fascinating, but heartbreaking

This book is a harrowing but fascinating glimpse into the lives of Chinese women during (and after?) the “Cultural” Revolution. I feel like I was just exposed to shocking secrets of a very different and difficult world, as told by individual stories/voices. I hope this book helps to open the eyes of the Chinese government and society to the underlying oppression and often tragic lives of Chinese women. It is well written and well read, but be aware that it is sad and difficult to hear in places.

Fascinating details

I enjoyed learning about the lives of women as well as that of the reporter.
Memoirs written by women of China have taught me a lot such as in Three Daughters of China by Chang as well as Life and Death in Shanghai by Cheng.