Perserveance

The trials that Nien Cheng faces during the Cultural Revolution are tremendous. At any time, she could have easily lost her resolve and determination. She could have confessed to being a spy for the British government. This confession was all that Jiang Qing needed to help with her political power play (although Cheng is unaware of this until much later) and Cheng would have been reprieved of much of the torment she was under.

By asserting herself and keeping her mind sharp, Cheng not only did not confess to any of the false crimes accused against her; she also does not fall into any of the slippery traps that the Chinese government and her interrogators set for her throughout the six and a half years of imprisonment. Arguably, her most difficult punishment was the handcuffs that remained on her wrists for days on end, nearly killing her. Even...