Honorary degree for inspiring Wild Swans author
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The author of Wild Swans has been awarded an honorary degree from the university in Ealing where she studied - as one of the first to come from China to continue their education almost 40 years ago.
Dr Jung Chang went on to make history as the first person from communist China to be awarded a doctorate from a British institution when she graduated with a PhD in Linguistics after studying in York.
She launched a career as an author and continues to inspire readers around the world with her books including Wild Swans; Mao; and Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister.
Commending her achievements to literature, the University of West London has today presented Dr Chang with the title of Honorary Doctor of Letters during a ceremony at Twickenham Stadium.
Born in China in 1952, the writer worked as everything from a ‘barefoot doctor’, a steelworker, and an electrician before coming to the UK to study at the former Ealing College of Higher Education and going on to launch her career as a writer.
Reliving her days in the London borough, she said:
I came to Ealing in 1978 and this university laid the foundation for me as a writer. I am forever indebted to this institution, it opened my eyes and I have such fond memories of studying here.
I had always known I wanted to be an author. I loved writing but that was in China in the 1950s and 1960s when it was simply not possible. I wrote my first poem on my sixteenth birthday and then had to burn it, but that idea of writing never left me.
This institution in Ealing was the first place I came to in the UK, it did not just teach me English, it opened my mind which is what university is all about – opening your mind and pursuing your dreams which are so important for any creativity."
Paul Lohneis, Head of UWL’s London School of Film, Media and Design, said:
Dr Chang has an incredible relationship with our university and such an inspiring story of how she followed her passions in the face of so many challenges and so much change.
We are thrilled to have such her with us, speaking about her own journey and life as an author and cementing her position within our university community where she can continue to inspire so many of our young creatives as they start out on their careers."
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