Li Lanqing’s Memoirs

Memoirs of heavyweight Chinese leaders worth reading are few and far between – actually about as common as dodos on Oxford Street – but that may be changing. We tend to get highly sanitized hagiographies either written by committee in Peking or penned by friendly foreigners looking for a leg up or a quick pay day (either that or they are serious brown nosers – the days of the serious ideological fellow traveller seem to have largely passed).  Mao, Zhou En-lai, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Zhou Rongji among others have had works written about them but rarely do we get to see them put pen to paper outside crass theory (Three Represents anyone? thought not!).

Of course Zhao Ziyang’s recorded memoirs caused a stir this year and were worth a read though these were an exception and only appeared after subterfuge and smuggling and then not officially in China. But perhaps more will appear – the publication of former Vice Premier Li Lanqing’s memoirs – Breaking Through: The Birth of China’s Opening Up Policy (published by Oxford Higher Education) indicate more of a willingness. Not that we should get over excited – this is hardly a tell all – but has some interesting stuff on the failures of the planned economy and the realities of establishing the SEZs and other key planks of the reforms. There’s even a decent gag or two. The book pulls up short before 1989 and the name of Zhao Ziyang never once gets a mention despite him being senior during most of the time discussed. Still, if you know your recent Chinese history this does add to the knowledge somewhat. There’s a fuller review at the Asian Review of Books by Kerry Brown who’s own recent Friends and Enemies history of the Communist Party is a useful and thankfully slim and concise read.

Perhaps ultimately it will be publishers and cheque books that will open up China’s leaders to memoir writing? Seeing the large sums that former Western leaders get for their memoirs and that even has beens who sell only a handful of books (John Prescott’s memoir anyone? OK, me neither!) still get a decent payday while who knows where the dreadful Sarah Palin will go off the back of her tome! Perhaps Hu and Wen will feel tempted one day soon; but then, maybe not.