The Party's Interests Come First
Summary
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The Party's Interests Come First by Joseph Torigian
The Party's Interests Come First is the first biography of Xi Zhongxun written in English. This biography is at once a sweeping story of the Chinese revolution and the first several decades of the People's Republic of China and a deeply personal story about making sense of one's own identity within a larger political context.
"This brilliant biography of Xi Zhongxun, revolutionary politician and father of China's current leader, reveals the human dramas and intrigue behind the curtain in Chinese politicsJoseph Torigian is a prodigious researcher whose interviews with the Dalai Lama and others are worth the price of the book. A vividly written page-turner and a major scholarly accomplishment."
—Susan Shirk, University of California, San Diego "Joseph Torigian's trademark indefatigable pursuit of detailed information illuminates Xi Zhongxun's experience in working under Mao and Deng in a party culture that leadership should vest in a 'core leader' who would have to be obeyed, and where no significant force stood up to either of them. This mammoth study provides much to reflect on continuities from Mao to Xi Jinping through Deng."
—Frederick C. Teiwes, University of Sydney "In China today, people often ask the question: how could Xi Zhongxun have had a son like this? The son in question is China's current president and Communist Party boss, Xi Jinping. Joseph Torigian's biography of Xi Zhongxun addresses this question only in its final chapter, but his rich and densely documented study of the father's life and career from the 1930s through the Tiananmen incident of 1989 is important in its own right—as an account of Xi Zhongxun's unshakable dedication to the Party and the revolution. Xi paid an enormous personal and political price for this dedication, but he remained loyal to the end. Torigian's fine study pays careful attention to Xi's personal and political life, and to the complex and ever-changing dynamics of politics in China's capital, adding important new texture to our understanding of China's political elite under Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and now Xi Jinping."
—Joseph W. Esherick, University of California, San Diego "A fascinating dive into the contradictions and internal struggles that defined the life of one of the Chinese Communist Party's leading figures. Rich in detail and light on grand pronouncements, Torigian's book illuminates the complexity and tension inherent in Chinese leaders' efforts to define and remain loyal to the party against stiff and constantly changing political winds."
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Johns Hopkins University "A towering achievement and required reading for those interested in China. Through exhaustive research and forensic detail, Joseph Torigian tells the gripping story of the man whose son now leads China and the party he helped build. Fascinating, revealing, and easily one of the best books on China in years."
—Rush Doshi, Georgetown University "Fascinating.... One of the easiest to read, most gripping doorstoppers I've ever had the pleasure of reading."—Jeremy Goldkorn, ChinaFile
—Susan Shirk, University of California, San Diego "Joseph Torigian's trademark indefatigable pursuit of detailed information illuminates Xi Zhongxun's experience in working under Mao and Deng in a party culture that leadership should vest in a 'core leader' who would have to be obeyed, and where no significant force stood up to either of them. This mammoth study provides much to reflect on continuities from Mao to Xi Jinping through Deng."
—Frederick C. Teiwes, University of Sydney "In China today, people often ask the question: how could Xi Zhongxun have had a son like this? The son in question is China's current president and Communist Party boss, Xi Jinping. Joseph Torigian's biography of Xi Zhongxun addresses this question only in its final chapter, but his rich and densely documented study of the father's life and career from the 1930s through the Tiananmen incident of 1989 is important in its own right—as an account of Xi Zhongxun's unshakable dedication to the Party and the revolution. Xi paid an enormous personal and political price for this dedication, but he remained loyal to the end. Torigian's fine study pays careful attention to Xi's personal and political life, and to the complex and ever-changing dynamics of politics in China's capital, adding important new texture to our understanding of China's political elite under Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and now Xi Jinping."
—Joseph W. Esherick, University of California, San Diego "A fascinating dive into the contradictions and internal struggles that defined the life of one of the Chinese Communist Party's leading figures. Rich in detail and light on grand pronouncements, Torigian's book illuminates the complexity and tension inherent in Chinese leaders' efforts to define and remain loyal to the party against stiff and constantly changing political winds."
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Johns Hopkins University "A towering achievement and required reading for those interested in China. Through exhaustive research and forensic detail, Joseph Torigian tells the gripping story of the man whose son now leads China and the party he helped build. Fascinating, revealing, and easily one of the best books on China in years."
—Rush Doshi, Georgetown University "Fascinating.... One of the easiest to read, most gripping doorstoppers I've ever had the pleasure of reading."—Jeremy Goldkorn, ChinaFile
Joseph Torigian is Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University and a Research Fellow at the Hoover History Lab at Stanford University.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781503634756 |
| ISBN 10 | 1503634752 |
| Title | The Party's Interests Come First |
| Author | Joseph Torigian |
| Series | Stanford-Hoover Series On Authoritarianism Ser |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Stanford University Press |
| Year published | 2025-06-03 |
| Number of pages | 277 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |