"If you want to get beyond the soulless facts and figures of the rise of the People's Republic of China and share in the living, breathing experience of what this period of history has meant, and continues to mean, for more than a billion of Frances's fel

"In this deeply touching and beautifully courageous autobiography, Frances Wong provides a truthful and fascinating account of the passion, patriotism, dedication and diligence of New China's first generation of returned intellectuals, who suffered unimag

"Answering Mao's call, the author and her husband left well-paid jobs to help build a new China. Her poignant story is one of patriotism and enthusiasm, followed by disillusionment and betrayal. One of the best books I have read on this period of history.

Frances Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1923. She attended Diocesan Girls' School and the University of Hong Kong. She went to the mainland with her husband against the flow of the mass exodus in 1949 to help to build a new China. After her retirement in 1986 she spent fourteen years in California and came back to China in 2000 to see the developments in China and to write her autobiography.