Wild Swans author backs domestic abuse campaign.

Generous readers have already donated more than £26,000 towards The Independent's bid to build a refuge for survivors

- MAYA OPPENHEIM AND JABED AHMED

Worldwide bestselling author Jung Chang has backed The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign after recalling horrifying memories of domestic abuse just a few doors away from where she lived.

Just two days into the campaign to build a safe haven for victims escaping their abusers, £26,210 has poured in from generous readers and supporters, as well as famous faces. Jung Chang, author of the iconic memoir Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, which traces the lives of three female generations in China but was banned in the country, has announced she is backing the campaign.

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“I once lived a few doors away from a family in which the father beat up his little girl frequently at night,” she said. “Even in China in the middle of the violent Cultural Revolution, her screams stood out and affected me deeply. I remember wishing fervently for a refuge for her, and today I wholeheartedly support The Independent’s move to give girls and women like her a sanctuary.”

Wild Swans has sold 15 million copies worldwide since it was published in 1991 and Ms Chang recently revealed that, more than three decades on, she is writing a sequel. Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages and she has won many awards, as well as receiving a CBE for services to literature and history.

Actor Joely Richardson and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha also announced yesterday that they are supporting the campaign. “I’m beyond pleased that The Independent is trying to do its bit, brick by brick, by partnering with Refuge to help those who are so vulnerable,” said Ms Chadha.