Speaking the Unspeakable: The Truth about Zhou Enlai
Gao Wenqian, official biographer of Zhou Enlai, discusses his new book, an _unofficial_ and revealing biography that relies heavily on secret documents from the Cultural Revolution period
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
11377 Bunche Hall
UCLA
Gao Wenqian was a member of the writing group of the Central Archive of the CCP in the 1980s, which produced an official history of the Party. Mr. Gao participated in the editing and cataloging of secret documents of the Central Committee from the Cultural Revolution period. Subsequently, he was responsible for producing an official biography of Zhou Enlai, long China's premier.
With materials in hand which -- for political reasons -- could not be included in the official biography, Mr. Gao is determined to speak out about what is as yet speakable inside China. He will soon publish a book that does precisely that: Wan nian Zhou Enlai (The late years of Zhou Enlai; 2003). Mr. Gao's command of material and his firsthand knowledge of the workings of the CCP's inner circle, have contributed to the convincing power of his new book.
Gao Wenqian was born in Beijing in 1953. He participated in the student democracy movement of 1989, and later came to the U.S., where he has been a visiting scholar at Columbia, Harvard, and elsewhere.
Mr. Gao will speak in Chinese
Click here for a synopsis, in Chinese, of Wan nian Zhou Enlai.
For more information please contact
Richard Gunde
Tel: 310 825-8683
gunde@ucla.edu
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies
