The Man on Maos Right, Ji Chaozhu
The Man on Maos Right, Ji Chaozhu
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The Man on Mao's Right
From Harvard Yard to Tiananmen Square, My Life Inside China's Foreign Ministry

Author: Ji Chaozhu

Narrator: Norman Dietz

Unabridged: 14 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/25/2008


Synopsis

No other narrative from within the corridors of power has offered as frank and intimate an account of the making of the modern Chinese nation as Ji Chaozhu's The Man on Mao's Right. Having served Chairman Mao Zedong and the Communist leadership for two decades, and having become a key figure in China's foreign policy, Ji now provides an honest, detailed account of the personalities and events that shaped today's People's Republic.

The youngest son of a prosperous government official, nine-year-old Ji and his family fled Japanese invaders in the late 1930s, escaping to America. Warmly received by his new country, Ji returned its embrace as he came of age in New York's East Village and then attended Harvard University. But in 1950, after years of enjoying a life of relative ease while his countrymen suffered through war and civil strife, Ji felt driven by patriotism to volunteer to serve China in its conflict with his adoptive country in the Korean War.

Ji's mastery of the English language and American culture launched his improbable career, eventually winning him the role of English interpreter for China's two top leaders: Premier Zhou Enlai and Party Chairman Mao Zedong. With a unique blend of Chinese insight and American candor, Ji paints insightful portraits of the architects of modern China: the urbane, practical, and avuncular Zhou, the conscience of the People's Republic; and the messianic, charismatic Mao, student of China's ancient past—his country's stern father figure.

Ji is an eyewitness to modern Chinese history, including the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the Nixon summit, and numerous momentous events in Tiananmen Square. As he became caught up in political squabbles among radical factions, Ji's past and charges against him of "incorrect" thinking subjected him to scrutiny and suspicion. He was repeatedly sent to a collective farm to be "reeducated" by the peasants.

After the Mao years, Ji moved on to hold top diplomatic posts in the United States and the United Kingdom and then served as under-secretary-general of the United Nations. Today, he says, "The Chinese know America better than the Americans know China. The risk is that we misperceive each other." This highly accessible insider's chronicle of a struggling people within a developing powerhouse nation is also Ji Chaozhu's dramatic personal story, certain to fascinate and enlighten Western audiences.

About Ji Chaozhu

Ji Chaozhu was born on July 30, 1929, in the Shanxi Province of China. Throughout his decorated career, he has held posts in China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was deputy director of the Department of Translation and Interpretation and deputy director of American and Oceanic Affairs. In 1982, he was appointed minister counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America, and he has served as China's ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and the Court of St. James's. From 1991 to 1996, he served as the under-secretary-general of the United Nations. He currently resides in China with his wife.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lewis on June 07, 2022

a beautifully written memoir of Ji Chaozhu's life near the pinnacle of Chinese leadership ... in addition to his views on the history and personalities, there are many interesting stories that may find their way into my current novel-in-process......more

Goodreads review by Eric on July 31, 2019

It is a bit difficult to pinpoint why I am giving this one five stars. I suppose at some level it must have to do with a "next-to-the-throne" person spending his youth in America and only then becoming a part of the mix in the world's most populous country as a government functionary whose English s......more

If you are looking for the soul searching, self-criticism made famous, or infamous, by Moaist communism, Ji Chaozhu's: The Man on Mao's Right is not that book. This is the autobiography of a man who was an intimate witness to the political and diplomatic thoughts of China's Chairman Mao. Ji Chaozhu w......more

Goodreads review by Omar Ali on July 22, 2017

"The Man on Mao's Right" is the memoir of Ji Chaozhu, a Chinese diplomat who worked as an interpreter for several decades before being promoted to more substantive positions, ending his career as China's ambassador to Great Britain and a stint as undersecretary general of the UN. His personal story......more

Goodreads review by Tom on July 25, 2012

Excellent, casual and inside history of the 20th century People's Republic told by a man who was born in 1930, fled the Japanese to America with his family, attended Harvard and ultimately became the primary interpreter for Zhou Enlai, a secondary interpreter for Mao, and a major figure in Sino-Amer......more