Zhou Enlai: A Life by Jian Chen Hardcover Book

Description: FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE Zhou Enlai by Jian Chen Zhou Enlai, Chinas first premier, is overshadowed by Mao, but Zhous influence in his own time and since has been vast. Chen Jian shows Zhou using his political and bureaucratic skills and centralism to mitigate the damage caused by Maos radicalism and argues that Zhou created conditions for the post-Mao reforms that have made China a superpower. FORMAT Hardcover CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description The definitive biography of Zhou Enlai, the first premier and preeminent diplomat of the Peoples Republic of China, who protected his country against the excesses of his boss-Chairman Mao. Zhou Enlai spent twenty-seven years as premier of the Peoples Republic of China and ten as its foreign minister. He was the architect of the countrys administrative apparatus and its relationship to the world, as well as its legendary spymaster. Richard Nixon proclaimed him "the greatest statesman of our era." Yet Zhou has always been overshadowed by Chairman Mao. Chen Jian brings Zhou into the light, offering a nuanced portrait of his complex life as a revolutionary, a master diplomat, and a man with his own vision and aspirations who did much to make China, as well as the larger world, what it is today. Born to a declining mandarin family in 1898, Zhou received a classical education and as a teenager spent time in Japan. As a young man, driven by the desire for Chinas development, Zhou embraced the communist revolution as a vehicle of Chinas salvation. He helped Mao govern through a series of transformations, including the disastrous Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. Yet, as Chen shows, Zhou was never a committed Maoist. His extraordinary political and bureaucratic skill, combined with his centrist approaches, enabled him to mitigate the enormous damage caused by Maos radicalism. When Zhou died in 1976, the PRC that we know of was not yet visible on the horizon; he never saw glistening twenty-first-century Shanghai or the broader emergence of Chinese capitalism. But it was Zhous work that shaped the nation whose influence and power are today felt in every corner of the globe. Author Biography A leading scholar of the Cold War and the history of modern China, Chen Jian is Distinguished Global Network Professor of History at New York University and NYU Shanghai; Hu Shih Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University; and Zijiang Distinguished Visiting Professor at East China Normal University. Review Vividly stages [the enigma of Zhou Enlai] in all its complexity so that readers are forced to wrestle with Zhous paradoxes on their own. Chens prodigious research using Chinese, English, and Russian sources helps him paint an old-fashioned but enthralling narrative. Free of the kind of jargon and theoretical gibberish that strangles much other academic writing, [this] biography brings twentieth-century Chinese history alive in new and very personal ways. -- Orville Schell * Foreign Affairs *Chen Jian has published a monumental biography of Zhou Enlai that makes him the pre-eminent scholar of the contemporary Chinese diaspora. [This] book, a comprehensive portrait of Zhou that took twenty years to research and write, will change [the way Zhou is perceived in the West]. Rather than merely applauding or attacking Zhou, it sets out to understand him at a level no previous work has approached…a compelling narrative. -- Perry Anderson * London Review of Books *A life of Zhou Enlai…can be nothing less than an exploration of Chinas history during the greater part of the 20th century. Chen Jian has drawn on such an astonishing wealth of sources in Chinese archives and elsewhere that it is difficult to see how his biography could ever be bettered. -- Philip Snow * Literary Review *A lucid, well-researched narrative…a satisfyingly fine-grained account of an influential figure often lost in Maos shadow. * Publishers Weekly *Chen delivers an authoritative, incisive look at an unquestionably significant historical figure. An excellent biography and capable deconstruction of the labyrinthine mechanics behind the CCPs development. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *Enlightening and moves along briskly…describes [Zhous] initiatives with clarity and detail. -- Lucy Hornby * Los Angeles Review of Books *Magnificent and thoroughly detailed…[a] comprehensive and important work. -- Gordon G. Chang * New Criterion *A useful and engaging biography that turns the spotlight on events that in so many ways shape Chinese politics today. -- Linda Jaivin * Inside Story *A model biography of 20th century China…This is a thoroughly entertaining, historically accurate portrayal of Zhou Enlai, consummate diplomat and intellectual giant of the CCP. -- A. M. Mayer * Choice *Chen Jians Zhou Enlai compellingly documents the whims, illusions, and eccentricities of Mao Zedong. I know of no better account of the arbitrary nature—but also the consequent waste—of authoritarian rule. -- John Lewis Gaddis, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning George F. Kennan: An American LifeA must-read. Chen Jians book illuminates Zhou Enlais life from the earliest years to his final days with nuance, empathy, and scholarly depth. Along the way, he also tells the breathtaking story of Zhous China. This is a rare work of history shot through with the lived experience, and even occasional pensiveness, of an eminent authority on twentieth-century China. -- Sergey Radchenko, author of Two Suns in the Heavens: The Sino-Soviet Struggle for Supremacy, 1962–1967At last, Zhou Enlai has the full-dress biography he deserves, one that uses rich documentary evidence to make an objective assessment of his enduring influence on twentieth-century China as well as the world. This is a profoundly important work of history. -- Rana Mitter, author of Chinas Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New NationalismCommunist China resembles a labyrinth. This brilliant study of Zhou Enlais life has given us a key and a map to understand it. A masterpiece and a must-read for anyone who cares about China and its impact on the world. -- Xu Guoqi, author of Chinese and Americans: A Shared History Details ISBN0674659589 Author Jian Chen Publisher Harvard University Press Year 2024 ISBN-13 9780674659582 Format Hardcover Publication Date 2024-05-07 Subtitle A Life Country of Publication United States Illustrations 3 Maps US Release Date 2024-05-07 DEWEY 951.05092 ISBN-10 0674659589 Imprint Harvard University Press Place of Publication Cambridge, Mass Pages 840 Audience General UK Release Date 2024-05-07 AU Release Date 2024-08-25 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! 30 DAY RETURN POLICY No questions asked, 30 day returns! FREE DELIVERY No matter where you are in the UK, delivery is free. 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