Tide Players - The Movers and Shakers of a Rising China

In Tide Players, acclaimed New Yorker contributor and author Jianying Zha depicts a new generation of movers and shakers who are transforming modern China. Through half a dozen sharply etched and nuanced profiles, Tide Players captures both the concrete detail and the epic dimension of life in the world's fastest-growing economy. Zha's vivid cast of characters includes an unlikely couple who teamed up to become the country's leading real-estate moguls; a gifted chameleon who transformed himself from Mao's favorite “barefoot doctor” during the Cultural Revolution to a publishing maverick; and a tycoon of home-electronic chain stores who insisted on avenging his mother, who had been executed as “a counter-revolutionary criminal.” Alongside these entrepreneurs, Zha also brings us the intellectuals: a cantankerous professor at China's top university; a former cultural minister turned prolific writer; and Zha's own brother, a dissident who served a nine-year prison term for helping to found the China Democracy Party. Deeply engaging, lucid, and poignant, Zha's insightful “insider-outsider” portraits offer a picture of a China that few Western readers have seen before. Tide Players is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand today's China. In Tide Players, acclaimed New Yorker contributor and author Jianying Zha depicts a new generation of movers and shakers who are transforming modern China. Through half a dozen sharply etched and nuanced profiles, Tide Players captures both the concrete detail and the epic dimension of life in the world's fastest-growing economy. Zha's vivid cast of characters includes an unlikely couple who teamed up to become the country's leading real-estate moguls; a gifted chameleon who transformed himself from Mao's favorite "barefoot doctor" during the Cultural Revolution to a publishing maverick; and a tycoon of home-electronic chain stores who insisted on avenging his mother, who had been executed as "a counter-revolutionary criminal." Alongside these entrepreneurs, Zha also brings us the intellectuals: a cantankerous professor at China's top university; a former cultural minister turned prolific writer; and Zha's own brother, a dissident who served a nine-year prison term for helping to found the China Democracy Party. Deeply engaging, lucid, and poignant, Zha's insightful "insider-outsider" portraits offer a picture of a China that few Western readers have seen before. Tide Players is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand today's China. "Tide Players depicts a new generation of entrepreneurs and intellectuals in a rapidly transforming China through six sharply etched and nuanced profiles which capture both the concrete detail and the epic dimension of life in contemporary Beijing. The cast of characters includes: an unlikely couple who teamed up to become the country's leading real estate mogul; a gifted chameleon who transformed himself from Mao's favorite 'barefoot doctor' during the Cultural Revolution to a publishing maverick; a tycoon of home electronic chain stores who insisted on avenging his mother, 'a counter-revolutionary criminal' executed in the most brutal manner. Zha also brings us to the intellectuals: the cantankerous professors at Beida, China's number-one university; a famous, prolific writer who, after stepping down as the cultural minister, kept people divided about whether he is an apologist for the Chinese Communist Party or a great author that might one day win a Nobel Prize in literature. Then there is the heart-rending story of Zha's own brother, a dissident who served a nine-year prison term for helping to found the China Democracy Party, yet remains an unrepentant idealist"--Résumé de l'éditeur "Tide Players depicts a new generation of entrepreneurs and intellectuals in a rapidly transforming China through six sharply etched and nuanced profiles which capture both the concrete detail and the epic dimension of life in contemporary Beijing. The cast of characters includes: an unlikely couple who teamed up to become the country's leading real estate mogul; a gifted chameleon who transformed himself from Mao's favorite 'barefoot doctor' during the Cultural Revolution to a publishing maverick; a tycoon of home electronic chain stores who insisted on avenging his mother, 'a counter-revolutionary criminal' executed in the most brutal manner. Zha also brings us to the intellectuals: the cantankerous professors at Beida, China's number-one university; a famous, prolific writer who, after stepping down as the cultural minister, kept people divided about whether he is an apologist for the Chinese Communist Party or a great author that might one day win a Nobel Prize in literature. Then there is the heart-rending story of Zha's own brother, a dissident who served a nine-year prison term for helping to found the China Democracy Party, yet remains an unrepentant idealist"--Provided by publisher China Is One Of The World's Most Rapidly Changing Cultural And Economic Landscapes Which Is Being Transformed From The Inside By A New Generation Of Savvy And Inspired Individuals. Zha Collects Nuanced And Sharply Etched Profiles Of These Movers And Shakers, Capturing Both The Concrete Detail And The Epic Dimension Of Life In The World's Fastest Growing Economy Through A Vivid Cast Of Characters. Deeply Engaging, Lucid And Poignant, Zha's Insightful Insider-outsider Portraits Offer A View Of China That Few Have Seen Outside Of The Country. pt. 1. The entrepreneurs A good tycoon The turtles The barefoot capitalist pt. 2. The intellectuals Beida, Beida! Enemy of the state Servant of the state Epilogue.