The Gate to China, Michael Sheridan
The Gate to China, Michael Sheridan
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Gate to China
A New History of the People's Republic and Hong Kong

Author: Michael Sheridan

Narrator: Nigel Patterson

Unabridged: 19 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/08/2022


Synopsis

The rise of China and the fall of Hong Kong to authoritarian rule are told with unique insight in this new history by Michael Sheridan, drawing on documents from archives in China and the West, interviews with key figures, and eyewitness reporting over three decades.

The story takes the listener from the earliest days of trade through the Opium Wars of the nineteenth century to the age of globalization, the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, the fight for democracy on the city's streets, and the ultimate victory of the Chinese Communist Party.

As the West seeks a new China policy, we learn from private papers how Margaret Thatcher anguished over the fate of Hong Kong, sought secret American briefings on how to deal with Beijing, and put her trust in a spymaster who was tormented by his own doubts.

The Chinese version of history, so often unheard, emerges from memoirs and documents, many of them entirely new to the foreign listener, which reveal China's negotiating tactics. The voices of Hong Kong people—eloquent, smart, and bold—speak compellingly here at every turn.

About Michael Sheridan

Michael Sheridan read history at Jesus College, Cambridge, and became a foreign correspondent in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. He first reported from Hong Kong and China in June 1989 and later served as Far East correspondent for The Sunday Times (London) for twenty years, covering the rise of China, the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, and the city's fight for democracy. Earlier he worked for Reuters, ITN, and The Independent, reporting on war in the Middle East, global diplomacy, and European politics, with postings in Rome, Beirut, and Jerusalem. His work has also appeared in The Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, The Tablet, Vanity Fair, The Australian, and the Hong Kong Economic Journal. He is author of a 1994 book Romans: Their Lives and Times.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Chase on March 20, 2022

4.5/5 stars. This was an impressive and readable book about one of the most fascinating places on the planet - Hong Kong. Michael Sheridan's book starts with some history about ancient China and goes right up until the National Security Law (harsh laws that abolished protesting and many rights) in 2......more

Goodreads review by Jacob on November 01, 2022

I may be boosting this a bit more than I should out of nostalgia but I really enjoyed this history of the relationship between Hong Kong and China. Chinese history is a large thing that is difficult to penetrate and study but the lens of Hong Kong provides the perfect entry point to understanding th......more