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 approacheda compelling narrative. -- Perry Anderson * London Review of Books * A life of Zhou Enlaican 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 narrativea 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 brisklydescribes [ 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 * An illuminating work of historical scholarshipone cannot help but come away from [ this book] impressed by the enormous breadth of Zhous work and his unquestioned accomplishments. * Chinese Studies International * 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 ChinaThis 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 naturebut also the consequent wasteof authoritarian rule. -- John Lewis Gaddis, author of the Pulitzer Prizewinning George F. Kennan: An American Life A 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, 19621967 At 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 Nationalism Communist 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
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