The Life of Xi Zhong Xun by Joseph Torigian (2025) is a very interesting biography of one of the key lieutenants of Mao.
He also happens to be the father of Xi Jinping. Zhong Xun is a legend in the history of the CCP. Despite being purged five times (Deng was purged three times), he remained devoted to the party’s cause.
He was in Yan’an, which became the CCP base camp, before Mao arrived after the Long March.
He was one of the eight elders who held power behind the scenes in the 1980s. Deng Xiaoping was the paramount leader in this group.
In this book, perhaps we can learn how the dad’s life influenced the present decisions and politics of Xi Jinping. Torigian, in his book, did attempt some analysis, but he limited himself to asking questions and raising possibilities. He did not wish to make any strong points.
In my view, XJP is a child of his times, his experiences drawn from the hardships suffered by him and his dad during the Cultural Revolution and the chaos agitated by Western elements, which resulted in the Tiananmen Incident.
For those reasons, he steered a middle path between the Mao and the Deng eras.
His style is called authoritative by Western minds. He believes in a firm grip to move China forward. The same allegation is made against Lee Kuan Yew.
This is an interesting Merdeka read.
30 Aug 2025