Prisoner of the State The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang

by Zhao Ziyang; Ignatius, Adi; Ignatius, Adi; Bao Pu; Bao Pu; Chiang, Renee; Chiang, Renee; MacFarquhar, Roderick

• ISBN13: 9781439149393
• ISBN10: 1439149399
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-18
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

Prisoner of the Stateis the story of Premier Zhao Ziyang, the man who brought liberal change to China and who was dethroned at the height of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 for trying to stop the massacre. Zhao spent the last years of his life under house arrest. An occasional detail about his life would slip out, but scholars and citizens lamented that Zhao never had his final say.But Zhao did produce a memoir, secretly recording on audio tapes the real story of what happened during modern China's most critical moments. He provides intimate details about the Tiananmen crackdown, describes the ploys and double crosses used by China's leaders, and exhorts China to adopt democracy in order to achieve long-term stability. His riveting, behind-the-scenes recollections form the basis ofPrisoner of the State.The China that Zhao portrays is not some long-lost dynasty. It is today's China, where its leaders accept economic freedom but resist political change. Zhao might have steered China's political system toward openness and tolerance had he survived. Although Zhao now speaks from the grave, his voice still has the moral power to make China sit up and listen.

Author Biography

Bao Pu, a political commentator and veteran human rights activist, is a publisher and editor of New Century Press in Hong Kong. Renee Chiang is a publisher and the English editor of New Century Press in Hong Kong. As a teacher in Beijing in 1989, she was an eyewitness to the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Adi Ignatius is an American journalist who covered China for The Wall Street Journal during the Zhao Ziyang era. He is currently editor in chief of the Harvard Business Review.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Foreword	p. xvii
The Tiananmen Massacre	p. 1
The Student Protests Begin	p. 3
An Editorial Makes Things Worse	p. 8
Power Struggle	p. 15
The Crackdown	p. 25
The Accusations Fly	p. 35
The Campaign Against Zhao	p. 39
Zhao's Talk with Gorbachev	p. 45
House Arrest	p. 51
Zhao Becomes a Prisoner	p. 53
The Investigative Report	p. 63
Zhao's Lonely Struggle	p. 72
The Roots of China's Economic Boom	p. 89
Conflicting Views at the Top	p. 91
An Early Setback	p. 95
Opening Painfully to the World	p. 101
Finding a New Approach	p. 111
Zhao and Hu Clash	p. 114
Playing a Trick on a Rival	p. 119
One Step at a Time	p. 125
The Economy Gets Too Hot	p. 127
The Magic of Free Trade	p. 134
Freedom on the Farm	p. 138
The Coastal Regions Take Off	p. 145
Coping with Corruption	p. 155
War in the Politburo	p. 159
Hu Yaobang "Resigns"	p. 161
Zhao Walks the Line	p. 183
The Ideologues	p. 197
Preparing for the Main Event	p. 203
A Tumultuous Year	p. 215
After the Congress	p. 217
Panic Buying and Bank Runs	p. 219
A Series of Missteps	p. 223
The Problem with Prices	p. 226
Reforms Take a Hit	p. 229
Zhao in Retreat	p. 233
The Campaign to Overthrow Zhao	p. 237
How China Must Change	p. 245
Deng's View on Political Reform	p. 245
Hu's View on Political Reform	p. 254
How Zhao's View Evolved	p. 256
The Old Guard Fights Back	p. 261
The Way Forward	p. 269
Epilogue	p. 275
A Brief Biography of Zhao Ziyang	p. 283
Who Was Who	p. 289
Acknowledgement	p. 305
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