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A lonely swan from the sea flies,
To alight on puddles it does not deign.
Nesting in the poplar of pearls
It spies and questions green birds twain:
"Don't you fear the threat of slings,
Perched on top of branches so high?
Nice clothes invite pointing fingers,
High climbers god's good will defy.
Bird-hunters will crave me in vain,
For I roam the limitless sky."

For more than six years I was imprisoned as a foreign spy by the Chinese Communist government.

I was born in Beijing on January 28, 1915. My husband and I both worked for the Chinese branch of Shell, and when my husband died in 1957 from cancer, I resumed his job as well. My daughter, Meiping, was an aspiring actress.

I went to school in Britain and recieved most of my education there. I was employed by Shell as a diplomat in foreign relations, though now I am retired. My book, Life And Death In Shanghai, was on the New York Times Bestseller List for three months. Currently I am in retirement, although sometimes I tour and speak about my experiences as a political prisoner during China's Cultural Revolution. Marian Christy also interviewed me for her book Famous Women Speak Out. The moments of my life that I am most proud of are my interviews with the officials of the Detention House where I was imprisoned. It was an incredible ordeal for me to survive, mentally and physically, and I am glad that I survived so that I could share my experience with the world. I've always been a fighter. When I'm confronted with a difficult situation, my first reaction is not to get frightened, it's 'Oh, wonderful, here's a situation that really calls on me to do something.' I regret not saying goodbye to my daughter, Meiping, before I was imprisoned, and I also regret that we were unable to see each other before she was murdered by the Red Guards.