Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang
Language: English
Published by Simon & Schuster, 2009
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: Goodwill of Silicon Valley, SAN JOSE, CA, U.S.A.Goodwill of Silicon Valley
AbeBooks seller since June 28, 2024
Condition: Used - Good
£ 6.88
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in Good condition! Any other included accessories are also in Good condition showing use. Use can include some highlighting and writing, page and cover creases as well as other types visible wear.
Seller Inventory # GWSVV.1439149380.G
- Title
- Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang
- Author
- Zhao Ziyang
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Publication year
- 2009
- Condition
- good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1439149380
- ISBN 13
- 9781439149386
"Zhao may be more dangerous in death than he was in life."
-- Time
How often can you peek behind the curtains of one of the most secretive governments in the world? Prisoner of the State is the first book to give readers a front row seat to the secret inner workings of China's government. It is the story of Premier Zhao Ziyang, the man who brought liberal change to that nation and who, at the height of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, tried to stop the massacre and was dethroned for his efforts.
When China's army moved in, killing hundreds of students and other demonstrators, Zhao was placed under house arrest at his home on a quiet alley in Beijing. China's most promising change agent had been disgraced, along with the policies he stood for. The premier spent the last sixteen years of his life, up until his death in 2005, in seclusion. An occasional detail about his life would slip out: reports of a golf excursion, a photo of his aging visage, a leaked letter to China's leaders. But China scholars often lamented that Zhao never had his final say.
As it turns out, Zhao did produce a memoir in complete secrecy. He methodically recorded his thoughts and recollections on what had happened behind the scenes during many of modern China's most critical moments. The tapes he produced were smuggled out of the country and form the basis for Prisoner of the State. In this audio journal, Zhao provides intimate details about the Tiananmen crackdown; he describes the ploys and double crosses China's top leaders use to gain advantage over one another; and he talks of the necessity for China to adopt democracy in order to achieve long-term stability.
The China that Zhao portrays is not some long-lost dynasty. It is today's China, where the nation's leaders accept economic freedom but continue to resist political change.
If Zhao had survived -- that is, if the hard-line hadn't prevailed during Tiananmen -- he might have been able to steer China's political system toward more openness and tolerance.
Zhao's call to begin lifting the Party's control over China's life -- to let a little freedom into the public square -- is remarkable coming from a man who had once dominated that square. Although Zhao now speaks from the grave in this moving and riveting memoir, his voice has the moral power to make China sit up and listen.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
--Erik Eckholm, The New York Times
"Until the appearance of this posthumous work, not a single voice of dissent had ever emerged from the [Chinese Communist] party's inner circle . . . Fascinating."
--The Economist
"Zhao speaks from beyond the grave . . . the up-close-and-personal tone [of the book] stands out. Scholars will mine Prisoner of the State for historical nuances."
--Perry Link, coeditor of The Tiananmen Papers
"[T]his book will be of special importance to anyone interested in what happened during the spring of 1989, culminating in the Tiananmen killings of June 3 and 4."
--Jonathan Mirsky, The New York Review of Books
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Goodwill of Silicon Valley
SAN JOSE, CA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since June 28, 2024
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 3 to 5 business days | 1 to 3 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 3.02 | £ 6.05 |
Payment methods
Store description
Goodwill of Silicon Valley’s mission is to support our employees, our customers, and people with challenging barriers to employment; to raise their standard of living and improve their lives through our services and social enterprise. Founded in Santa Clara County in 1928, Goodwill of Silicon Valley is dedicated to improving employment opportunities, increasing standards of living, providing economic independence, and restoring our clients’ sense of self-worth. We do this through workforce creation, vocational training, and environmental stewardship. With 18 retail stores, an online store, an extensive reuse/recycling operation, and our Contract Services division, we help people overcome barriers to employment, build sustainable livelihoods, and transform their lives and communities.…
Specialty
All, potentially Comics and Collectibles as wellSeller's business information
Goodwill of Silicon Valley
1080 North 7th Street
San Jose, CA U.S.A. 95112
Terms of sale
Goodwill of Silicon Valley’s mission is to support our employees, our customers, and people with challenging barriers to employment; to raise their standard of living and improve their lives through our services and social enterprise.
Founded in Santa Clara County, California, USA in 1928, Goodwill of Silicon Valley is dedicated to improving employment opportunities, increasing standards of living, providing economic independence, and restoring our clients’ sense of self-worth. We do this through workforce creation, vocational training, and environmental stewardship. With 18 retail stores, an online store, an extensive reuse/recycling operation, and our Contract Services division, we help people overcome barriers to employment, build sustainable livelihoods, and transform their lives and communities.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Goodwill of Silicon Valley, SAN JOSE, California, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Books are shipped 1-2 business days following receipt of payment.
Standard flat rate shipping $15.00 per item via Fedex.
Delivery between 14-28 days.