The Man on Mao's Right

From Harvard Yard to Tiananmen Square, My Life Inside China's Foreign Ministry

By: Ji Chaozhu

Narrated by: Norman Dietz

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2008 Chaozhu Ji (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A true 'fly-on-the-wall' account of the momentous changes in Chinese society and international relations over the last century." ( Kirkus)

Great insight

We listened to this during a trip to China, and it helped us understand some of the politics behind this incredible country, both good and bad. A definite must for those who want to see many sides of the story into what it was like to live in Mao's China.

Torn between two countries.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Man on Mao's Right to be better than the print version?

I would.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man on Mao's Right?

The one where the head of a Chinese deligation was stopped for a knife in his bag at the airport.

What does Norman Dietz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not an extreme reaction.

Any additional comments?

None.

Very interesting perspective

I so thoroughly enjoyed the story of this man's life and times that I would sometimes forget "the source." The story of Ji's life in America and his eventual return to China and rise to high office within China's foreign ministry was fascinating. Ji Chaozhu criticized communist China just enough to make it believable, and did not skirt the issues of his own suffering, though I expect it was far greater than he described. Within the story, he deified Zhou Enlai and disparaged Mao, which would be the acceptable rhetoric for a good cadre of that time and place.

It is worth noting that he is a communist through-and-through and this is probably the most interesting aspect of the book. I believe that his devotion to China and the party were (for the most part, or at least in the beginning) sincere. He spoke as a Chinese citizen would only dare speak on the world stage--carefully and reverently about his homeland, the Party, and the leadership. Even so, the story of his life, the historical figures who cross his path, and the events from his perspective were exciting to observe. I highly recommend this book, though one must listen through the veil of communist rhetoric.

Wished there was more!

Would you listen to The Man on Mao's Right again? Why?

A good book. I have listened to it more than once. The personal notes on public events in China provided at different look at China during the Mao years and since. I enjoyed reading remembering the events and then seeing them from a different angle. Nicely done. You can't help but wish Ji Chaozhu all the best.

If you like Chinese History from different angles

What did you love best about The Man on Mao's Right?

A more realistic look into the more turbulant times in Chinese history,

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man on Mao's Right?

no comment

Have you listened to any of Norman Dietz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

first one

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

no comment

Good for China Beginners

This is the memoir of someone who worked in the Chinese foreign service during and after the Mao era, and still resides in China with his family. The result is a book that gives a moderate version of the official Communist Party story of Chinese history and diplomacy in the 20th century.

Someone who doesn't know much about recent Chinese history would probably learn quite a bit. The book would be especially helpful for someone who couldn't imagine why the Chinese government joined the Korean War, or why Taiwan has been made such an issue--and why most people in China agree with the government position on these topics. As someone already quite familiar with the history, I didn't get any new information from this book.

The author's description of his personal experiences are rather monotonous, without much reflection or psychological detail. Expect to spend a lot of time hearing about the health problems of every member of his family. His political insights are limited to categorizing all the people he discusses as either good (Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai, Deng Xiaoping) or bad (Mao, the Gang of Four, and their supporters), and so he explains political events by attributing them to whether the "good" or "bad" people happened to be in control of government at that time. This was much too simplistic for me to feel that the book had deepened my understanding of how the tumultuous politics of the Mao years really worked.

The narrator made some effort to learn how to pronounce Chinese, so about half the names came out fairly well (except for the tones), and half are mangled. This is still better than most audiobooks on China.