Last month the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) celebrated one hundred years of existence, having survived its abusive childhood, war-steeled twenties, murderous middle-age and prosperous silver years. The Party has engrained itself so deeply into the terroir of contemporary China that the two are often difficult to separate. A spate of books has come out to mark the anniversary, and in this bimonthly column we’re using the occasion to recommend a few of them. At the top of the list is a histo