Jung Chang's book, first published in the UK in 1991 (British Book of the Year Award), has been translated into 32 languages with a total circulation of 12 million copies, but has not yet been published in Chinese.

The story of the family through the prism of the dramatic fate of China, described vividly and emotionally, became a bestseller. Jung Chang is accurate and impartial in assessing socio-political events and is extremely honest in revealing the self-perception of people who have fallen under the wheels of history. The book serves to affirm universal values and freedom of a thinking person.