Jonathan Mirsky

Towing the Party Line

The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin

By

Crown Publishers 709pp $35 order from our bookshop

This biography of the ex-President of China and ex-Chairman of its Communist Party could have been written by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. In fact it was written by an American stockbroker with a doctorate in anatomy and, by his own admission, business interests in China, who, unlike professional propagandists, probably believes every misleading word he writes. As he says, ‘I root for China, like a loyal fan of a local sports team.’

Sign Up to our newsletter

Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.

Follow Literary Review on Twitter

  • Last Tweets

    • If you want ideas about what to read next, sign up to our free email newsletter, and get book reviews, archive mate… ,
    • 'The heroic male nude could not, I think, be used today to signify civic pride and glory', as Michelangelo’s 'David… ,
    • 'Munch’s later works show us a man liberated from the torments that gave rise to some of the best-known early works… ,
    • 'We read from left to right and from start to finish. Or do we?' Stuart Hannabus considers the merits of reading i… ,
    • Domestic scandal, sexual abuse and serial killers are on the menu in April's crime round-up. revie… ,
    • What did Samuel Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, James Boswell and Edmund Burke all have in common? Clare Bucknell reveal… ,
    • 'Behind Berlusconi’s greasepaint and his rictus grin, the performance of Toni Servillo suggests the affectless holl… ,
    Follow Us