Confessions of a Chinese Heroine: The Labor Camp Memoirs of Sr. Ying Mulan

Ying Mulan, a member of a Catholic family in Beijing, wrote the autobiography "Confessions of a Chinese Heroine," which reflects the turbulent changes of Chinese society in the second half of the 20th century. She was imprisoned for one year at 17 and worked as a forced laborer in four different work units and labor camps until 1980. At 60, she decided to become a nun and joined the Josephine Sisters of Beijing Diocese. Her memoirs reveal hidden details of life in China, including cruel incidents during the Cultural Revolution and insider information on the struggles of the Catholic Church within an atheist regime.

Format: Hardback
Length: 366 pages
Publication date: 26 August 2021
Publisher: Lehigh University Press

Confessions of a Chinese Heroine is a captivating autobiography that delves into the life of Ying Mulan, a prominent figure in Beijing's Catholic community. Born in 1933, Mulan's journey reflects the profound transformations of Chinese society during the second half of the 20th century. At the age of 17, she faced imprisonment for a year during her university studies in Shanghai due to an imprudent statement about the Korean War. Despite being blacklisted, she endured forced labor in four different work units and labor camps from 1958 to 1980. Her resilience and determination allowed her to return to Beijing, where she began working for a government organization responsible for overseeing the Catholic Church in China. In a labor camp in Shanxi Province, Mulan married Wang Jikun and gave birth to a daughter in 1972. Tragically, her husband passed away in 1990, leaving her to raise her daughter independently. At the age of 60, Mulan embarked on a new chapter in her life by becoming a nun and joining the Josephine Sisters of Beijing Diocese.

Throughout her remarkable career, Sr. Ying actively participated in the revival of religious life in China since the 1980s. Her memoirs, written in 2019, offer a poignant reflection on the sorrows and joys of a faithful and ambitious woman. With unwavering honesty, she reveals many hidden details of life in China, including the cruel incidents of the Cultural Revolution and the challenges faced by the Catholic Church within an atheist regime. Mulan's story is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and her memoirs serve as a valuable contribution to understanding the complexities of Chinese history and society.

Weight: 388g
Dimension: 227 x 160 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781611463200