My Life: A True Story of Sorrow and Strength

Set in Hong Kong and mainland China, 'My Life' is a moving story of one woman's incredible spirit as she lives through the hell of the Japanese occupation and Communist takeover of China before, during, and after World War Two. Her life begins on a quiet California farm, but her family returns to Hong Kong in the 1930s. When Japanese troops march in, they are forced to flee to a village in mainland China to escape the cruelty of the Japanese. As a teenager she manages to fall in love despite the Japanese occupation. When the war comes to an end, she marries her high school sweetheart. But her happiness is brief. Life again becomes a living hell again when Mao's communist administrators take control of her village. There is widespread torture and starvation as families are destroyed and loved ones are lost, all in the name of 'communist equality'. With her husband missing and presumed dead in Hong Kong, Zhong Jiao and her young daughter flee from the political terror. Her bittersweet adventures continue until she is able to escape to Hong Kong and then finally return to her native California. Poignant and emotionally penetrating, this is an unforgettable story of one woman's courage and compassion as she travels in her journey through life during the turmoil of contemporary Chinese history.