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The Tiananmen Papers Paperback – June 6, 2002

by Liang Zhang (Author), Andrew J. Nathan (Author), Perry Link (Author),

4.5 41 ratings

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On the night of June 3-4, 1989, Chinese troops violently crushed the largest pro-democracy demonstrations in the history of the communist regime. In this extraordinary collection of hundreds of internal government and Communist Party documents, secretly smuggled out of China, we learn how these events came to pass from behind the scenes. The material reveals how the most important decisions were made; and how the turmoil split the ruling elite into radically opposed factions. The book includes the minutes of the crucial meetings at which the Elders decided to cashier the pro-reform Party secretary Zhao Ziyang and to replace him with Jiang Zemin, to declare martial law, and finally to send the troops to drive the students from the Square.

Just as the Pentagon Papers laid bare the secret American decision making behind the Vietnam War and changed forever our view of the nation's political leaders, so too has The Tiananmen Papers altered our perception of how and why the events of June 4 took the shape they did. Its publication has proven to be a landmark event in Chinese and world history.

About the Author

Andrew J. Nathan is professor of politics at Columbia University and the author of numerous books, including China's Transition (Columbia). He is a frequent contributor to the New Republic.

Perry Link is professor of Chinese language and literature at Princeton University. In 1988-89 he served as Beijing director of a subcommittee of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of many books, including Evening Chats in Beijing: Probing China's Predicament (Norton).

Orville Schell, dean of graduate studies in journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, is considered one of America's foremost experts on China. His most recent book on contemporary China is The China Reader: the Reform Era (Vintage).

Print length

580 pages
Language

English
Publication date

June 6, 2002
Dimensions

6.25 x 1.32 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1586481223
ISBN-13

978-1586481223
Lexile measure

1330L
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs; First Edition (June 6, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 580 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1586481223
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1586481223
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1330L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.77 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.32 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #792,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,004 in Asian Politics
- #1,294 in Chinese History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 41 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

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Christian

Very insightful and useful

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

A wonderfulperspective on the 1989 tiananmen massacre. Probably the largest set of primary documents we have on the decision process at the highest levels of the CCP. While some have called into question the authenticity of the documents, many scholars defend them, and there aren't many other options for studying deliberations among top party leaders around the time of the massacre.

2 people found this helpful

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Important background material to supplement narratives

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2003

Verified Purchase

There is no way for to know whether this book is full of true documents or fakes. However, several of my friends from the Michigan Business School who are from China believe them to be true and that is good enough for me. A few of them were actually in the square in the days leading up to the final horror. Plus, we all know from the history of the Pentagon Papers and similar events, that documentation of difficult historical events do have a way of finding their way to the light.
While there are narratives of these events that are easier to read than this long and somewhat disconnected book, there is a real power that comes with reading the actual documents. Plus, it fills in some of the gaps and provides deeper background for those commentaries. The notes provided by the authors to fill in the gaps is pretty good and reads like it is true, but, again, I have no way of knowing.
There are a few maps and the front of the book and 100 short biographies (a few lines each) at the back to help us keep track of who is who. But there are no pictures provided. There is a small index.

9 people found this helpful

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anthony joes

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

Book was in fine condition, and arrived in a very short time. I was well satisfied.

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014

Excellent!!!!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2001

Never has there been a book more vivid and truthful at presenting the Chinese government, its top decision making process, and the agitation, determinations, intelligence, manipulations, and openness of its leaders. This is more than just a recording on the Tiananmen Turmoil, but a chronicle from which useful reflections can always be drawn, especially now. If the Chinese Government, can be brave as to accept this book, repents its ill-doing of the past, and embrace more political openness and changes in the future, we, 1.3 billion brothers and sisters, will be the happiest people on earth.
The more I read, the more I understand, and the more I pity our leaders, for their situations were so critical, futures so uncertain, and with all those uncertainties, had to decide nevertheless the directions of a whole country. You, from this book, will learn how human our leaders are, and how little we can complain, for us in the same situation would have done worse.
This is a great book, and those stated above are just some of my own judgments made upon these very wonderful information whose authencity there should be no doubts, but as all unbiased information are, you will make your own judgments too, which in comparison with the opinions here, would only make the book more interesting. But only to be aware, this is a long book with many details that you might not be very interested at, go to the New York Times Web site, and the excerpts they have there might be better.

49 people found this helpful

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Chuck DeVore

Laborious, but worth it...

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2001

Verified Purchase

The "Tiananmen Papers" is a rare window into the Communist Chinese decision making process. Its fine detail (said to be three times longer in the Chinese language edition) yields unprecedented insights into the march of events that led to the bloody crushing of the Chinese democracy and anti-corruption movement of 1989.

This book should cause every reader to wonder if the Chinese Communist Party can ever peacefully share or give up power - and, if it can't, what the future holds for China and the rest of Asia.

I recommend "The Tiananmen Papers" to all those who really have a passion to study China - anyone else shouldn't bother as they'll never get past the first dozen pages.

Reviewer: Chuck DeVore is a Vice President at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He served in the California State Assemblyman from 2004 to 2010. Before his election, he was an executive in the aerospace industry. He was a Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Department of Defense from 1986 to 1988. He is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army (retired) Reserve. DeVore is the author of "The Texas Model: Prosperity in the Lone Star State and Lessons for America" and the co-author of "China Attacks."

8 people found this helpful

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Jen in Kansas City, MO

I was riveted.

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2002

A few of the reviewers have mentioned that the book contains nothing new. That may be the case for people who have studied the situation in depth or were there at the time. But lots of Americans, like me, only knew what they saw on the news or read in the papers. For us, the book is a real eye-opener with many surprises.
I also disagree with the characterization of this book as "dry." I couldn't put it down. If the expository narrative bits weren't in there and the book consisted of the documents only, it might have been tiresome after a while. But whoever put this together added just enough background to maintain the sense of tension and gravity. It's very suspenseful--a neat trick considering the one thing everybody already knows is how the story ended.

14 people found this helpful

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Highly Recommended!

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2001

This is either a stunning exposé or a masterly forgery. Even its editors are not entirely sure which it is because it is impossible to verify the authenticity of the documents presented here, which the compiler - who uses a pseudonym - delivered to a leading American Sinologist. The documents purport to record the most secret deliberations of China's leaders, as well as the information upon which they based their 1989 decision to unleash armed forces against the peaceful demonstrators who occupied Tiananmen Square. After careful checking, the editors deemed the documents authentic because they possess "an internal coherence, richness and human believability that would be impossible to fake." The Chinese government denounced them as forgeries, as was to be expected, true or false. We [...] believe the documents have enough verisimilitude to offer an instructive, useful picture of how China's system works. Reading these, it is impossible to escape the reflection that the current regime is doomed by its very rigidity and betrayed by its own strength.

4 people found this helpful

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