China Hands (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist Rand here presents the legendary American journalists who covered China during the 1920s, '30s and '40s-such as Edgar Snow, Harold Isaacs, Theodore H. White, Agnes Smedley and Christopher Rand (the author's father)-tracking their methods of gathering material and their individual perceptions of the political turmoil in the country. Their sympathies were for the most part with the Chinese Communists, and Rand pays particular attention to the 1946-1949 civil war between the Communists led by Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist regime. He examines the mood in the U.S. at the time, McCarthyism and the right-wing charge that China was "lost" by American ineptitude, a charge that caused a purge in the State Department of diplomats such as John Stewart Service. Rand vividly recreates the period, lucidly and penetratingly presenting the Chinese experiences of the journalists for whose careers the revolution proved to be the watershed. The book concludes with an account of the revisit, in 1985, by China hands Tillman Durdin, Annalee Jacoby and Pepper Martin at Beijing's invitation.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Novelist Rand examines a select group of journalists who reported on China between 1900 and 1950. Most grew disillusioned with the treatment of the Chinese people and left. For this, they were branded as Communists, or as traitors to the United States. Rand's work provides an introduction to such fascinating people as Agnes Smedley, Rayna Prohme, Harold B. Isaacs, and others. Rand's insightful observation that most of the writers described were under the delusion that only Westerners really could run things in China should be kept in mind. Even though this is not a book for scholars of Chinese history, Rand's excellent writing, characterization of the writers, and use of the journalists' letters make this work stand far above most popular histories. Readers will come away wanting to know more about Rand's subjects and, perhaps, to learn more about an important period in Chinese history. Rand's engrossing book is highly recommended for all libraries.?Dennis L. Noble, Sequim, Wash.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684808447
• ISBN-13: 978-0684808444
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,408,408 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, October 13, 2009

By	Mr. Jones - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book along with China Hands by James Lilley.

1. Peter Rand's China Hands is a real gem. More people should read it.
2. Rand writes with a novelist's touch. His writing is exquisite. Rand took years researching and writing it. In fall 1991, four years before publication, Rand had a 950 page draft. See foonotes, and Fairbank Remembered.
3. The books focuses on experiences of well-known (Issacs, White, Smedley) and other lesser-known journalists, and I was surprised by how well the story holds up together.
4. In some sense this book is about the author's search for his father.
5. The story appropriately ends with Barbara Stephens.
6. I have the following questions (along with Peter Rand)
a. Why did John Fairbank deny remembering or knowing Barbara Stephens, when evidence indicates that he knew her.
b. If Fairbank did get a chance to read the 950 page manuscript, would that have rejogged his other wise excellent memory? See Rand's contribution to Fairbank Remembered (In September 1991, Fairbank agreed to read the draft, but suffered a heartattack and died).
c. Should an attempt be made to reopen the story behind Barbara Stephen's untimely death?

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China Hands by Peter Rand, September 6, 2005

By	Diana Fairclough - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a fascinating read, well written with great photos