Since its founding in 1983, the magazine Zongheng has drawn on firsthand perspectives to uncover little-known stories behind familiar figures. With a broad view that spans time and place, it surveys a century of historical upheaval and the many facets of society and human life. This book brings together articles from the magazine in a collection organized into shorter pieces, covering historical events and figures from the late Qing dynasty through the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It tells history through their distinctive perspectives.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the world situation was turbulent and unpredictable. What path would the new nation take? This book focuses on China’s difficult yet remarkable diplomatic history, vividly recreating the country’s diplomatic journey since its founding and the sweeping changes that took place on Chinese soil. It highlights the outstanding contributions of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other veteran proletarian revolutionaries to the nation’s diplomacy, offering a full picture of major events such as the Geneva Conference, the Asian-African Conference, and Zhou Enlai’s visits to Africa. On the grand chessboard of international diplomacy, they maneuvered with skill, building China’s diplomatic ties from scratch, breaking the ice, overcoming isolation, and winning friends around the world, until the country achieved the status of a major diplomatic power.
