Plenums of the Communist Party’s Central Committee are normally dull affairs that slip by largely unnoticed. Yet the sixth plenum of this National Congress, held in Beijing last month, was notable for the historical resolution it passed, only the third in the Party’s history. The document cemented Xi Jinping’s position as Party ‘core’, and Xi Thought as “the essence of the Chinese culture and China’s spirit.” As such, China’s leader has prematurely closed the history books, placing the Xi era in the pantheon alongside those of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. A ream of recent books shed new light on the history that is being made (and rewritten) apace in China. Topping our list is Ai Weiwei’s long-awaited memoir, previously excerpted by The Wire, followed by books on Hong Kong’s fight, China’s 1970s, and views of the nation’s present and past all the way through to sci-fi visions of its future. As an Amazon Associate, The Wire earns from qualifying purc