These stories have all the force of good fiction.” - The Washington Post “Bursting with details that make each account haunting. “An important document that records with intelligent sympathy lives warped or destroyed by political revolutions.” - Kirkus Reviews “A rare collection of testimonies that show the scale of our humanity, both good and bad, wondrous and horrific.” -Amy Tan

This intimate record reads like an act of defiance, and the unvarnished prose allows each story to stand as testimony.” - The New Yorker 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Her book will reveal the lives of Chinese women to the West as never before. Their stories changed Xinran's understanding of China forever. Through the vivid intimacy of her writing, the women's voices confide in the reader, sharing their deepest secrets for the first time. 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. Xinran won their trust and, through her compassion and ability to listen, became the first woman to hear their true stories.

Centuries of obedience to their fathers, husbands and sons, followed by years of political turmoil had made women terrified of talking openly about their feelings. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous through the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. For eight groundbreaking years, Xinran presented a radio programme in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves.

The good women of china hidden voices