"I no longer have the terrible nightmares that I used to have. Mao had just died in 1976, and China began to open up. For the first time scholarships to go to the West to study were awarded on academic merit"

Jung Chang's quote provides a deep and personal insight into a significant historic moment in China's history, along with into her own life. When Chang discusses she "no longer [has] the horrible nightmares", she is likely describing the extreme and often terrible experiences of living through the Cultural Revolution in China. This duration, led by Chairman Mao Zedong from 1966 to 1976, was marked by political turmoil, persecution, and the widespread suffering of millions, including intellectuals, artists, and ordinary people. The "headaches" symbolize this era's terrible effect on individuals's lives and psyches.

Mao's death in 1976 was a turning point for China. His death resulted in the end of the Cultural Revolution, and the subsequent leadership began to execute substantial modifications. Mao's death marks a shift in the country's trajectory from seclusion and internal strife towards a more open and reform-oriented approach under the management of Deng Xiaoping. Deng's policies, called "Reform and Opening Up", intended to update China's economy and establish worldwide relationships. These changes were essential in transforming China into the international power it is today.

For Jung Chang, the new period implied the introduction of previously inconceivable opportunities. Prior to Mao's death, access to education abroad was greatly limited, and academic opportunities were limited by political connections and commitment to the Communist Party. Nevertheless, with the new government's policies, scholarships based on "scholastic merit" became available, allowing Chang and others the possibility to study in the West.

Chang's mention of scholarships talks to a more comprehensive theme of meritocracy starting to take hold in China, allowing individuals to pursue education and profession opportunities based on skills and achievements instead of political connections. This opening not only altered personal lives, like Chang's, enabling her education and profession abroad however likewise marked China's integration into the worldwide neighborhood, setting a course towards modernization and financial advancement that continues today.

In amount, this quote encapsulates individual freedom from a terrible past, a pivotal historical shift in China, and the extensive social modifications that emerged with the possibility of academic and intellectual freedom.