In August 2013, Josh Cheng, a Chinese businessman, was reading the newly published memoir of Li Rui, a senior Chinese Communist Party official, when he got an idea. In the book, which was banned in mainland China because it criticized the party, Li Rui revealed that he had maintained a diary since the 1930s, when he first joined the Chinese revolution.Cheng had secured his copy in Hong Kong. As a one-time secretary to Party chairman Mao Zedong, Li’s personal diaries were sure to offer an invaluable perspective on critical events in modern Chinese history. Li intimated that he planned to entrust the diaries to his daughter, Li Nanyang, so she could find a place for them to be studied after he died.
“It’s hard to remember the details of what transpired when I worked at the Central Organization Department,” Li Rui wrote.” But I’ve kept a diary almost every day. After I die, my daughter, Nanyang, will sort it out.”
When Cheng, a graduate of Stanford University, read thi
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Why is one of Taiwan's largest media groups — Want Want China Times Media Group — spreading anti-U.S. rhetoric? Largely because its billionaire owner, Tsai Eng-meng, is known to sympathize with the Chinese Communist Party and favors unification with the mainland. Now, with Taiwan gearing up for a critical presidential election, Want Want’s efforts are picking up and helping to normalize CCP talking points.
A look at ZPMC: how it came to dominate ports around the world; its role in Chinese foreign policy; and the consequences of its links to the Chinese state.
The author and academic talks about how trade has actually changed over the last 40 years; why China's rise is linked to Asia's regionalization; and why international supply chains are efficient and resilient.
