PRC @ 75 Series—Bao Pu—An Insider’s View of Mao’s Reign: The Life of Bao Tong, Communist Reformer

You’re invited to a PRC @ 75 Series event featuring Bao Pu, Founder of New Century Press in Hong Kong, and Michael Puett, Director of the Asia Center and Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology at Harvard University.

Mao Zedong’s 26-year reign profoundly shaped the People’s Republic of China. And yet while there have been numerous social, political, and economic analyses of the PRC, the driving forces behind Mao’s policies and the inner workings of power politics at the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party remain poorly understood due to lack of critical information.

Drawing from a collection of largely unpublished private letters, rare publications, and archival records connected to Bao Tong, the late Communist Party reformer and political secretary to Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, Bao’s son Bao Pu weaves his father’s experiences during Mao’s reign into a single coherent narrative. The analysis traces Bao’s personal arc, from the young idealist who joined the Party at age of 16 to disillusioned reformer who became one of the Party’s most outspoken critics. Bao Pu uncovers surprising insights into power dynamics at China’s highest levels, enriched by visuals from Bao Tong’s personal archives and photographs.

Event Details

Registration is not required to attend. This event will be recorded.

This event is hosted by the Fairbank Center and co-sponsored by the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.