Bao Pu, Renee Chiang, Adi Ignatius (transl. and edit.) Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Zhao Ziyang

Simon & Schuster, 2009. — 334 p.
ISBN13: 978-1-4391-4938-6.
ISBN10: 1-4391-4938-0Prisoner of the State is the story of Premier Zhao Ziyang, the man who brought liberal change to China and who was dethroned at the height of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 for trying to stop the massacre. Zhao spent the last years of his life under house arrest. An occasional detail about his life would slip out, but scholars and citizens lamented that Zhao never had his final say.But Zhao did produce a memoir, secretly recording on audio tapes the real story of what happened during modern China’s most critical moments. He provides intimate details about the Tiananmen crackdown, describes the ploys and double crosses used by China’s leaders, and exhorts China to adopt democracy in order to achieve long-term stability. His riveting, behind-the-scenes recollections form the basis of Prisoner of the State.The China that Zhao portrays is not some long-lost dynasty. It is today’s China, where its leaders accept economic freedom but resist political change. Zhao might have steered China’s political system toward openness and tolerance had he survived. Although Zhao now speaks from the grave, his voice still has the moral power to make China sit up and listen.The Tiananmen Massacre.
House Arrest.
The Roots of China’s Economic Boom.
War in the Politburo.
A Tumultuous Year.
How China Must Change.Diary of Chinese politician Zhao Ziyang. He was a leading reformer, introduced a market economy in China, fought corruption. Removed from office for supporting students who protested at Tiananmen Square in 1989. He spent the last 15 years of his life under house arrest.