The Book of Secrets

The story of a family in modern China with a history of deceit, betrayal and political intrigue, and the communist party's long shadow over them, from the Cultural Revolution to today. Following the lives of military intelligence officer Jie and his wife Moon, The Book of Secrets weaves recently found material into a narrative that not only illuminates the shadowy world of intelligence in China, but also the emotional tragedies that political extremism inflicted on those working within. Drawing on Jie's own vivid biography of his youth, Xinran pieces together his trajectory as he joins the great hope of the Chinese young - the Communist Party - and becomes a loyal cadre until the late 1970s when, as a chief in the security forces, he makes a decision that will poison his family against him. This is a totally unique behind-the-scenes account of a family torn apart by the Tiananmen Square massacre and the attempts of Jie to finally open up the Chinese system to the people, pieced together from an extraordinary archive of personal diaries and letters.

Xinran is a British-Chinese author, journalist and activist. She was the host of a pioneering Chinese radio show 'Words on the Night Breeze', which invited women to discuss their issues live on air. Her first book, The Good Women of China (2002), recounted some of these stories and has been translated into over 30 languages and became an international bestseller. Her book The Promise was shortlisted for the society of Authors Translation Prize. In August 2004, Xinran set up 'The Mothers' Bridge of Love' (MBL), which reaches out to Chinese children in all corners of the world. By creating a bridge of understanding between China and the West and between adoptive culture and birth culture, MBL ultimately wants to help bridge the huge poverty gap that still exists in many parts of China.

Foreword - Words on the Night Breeze Snow's Story Xinran, December 2018 PART ONE: The Tapes 1 A Family Fragmented by the Chaos of War 2 Tsinghua - An Awakening of Love and Faith 3 Questions of Career and Faith PART TWO: Jie's Letters to his Wife Moon 4 1951-4 - Fantasy and Romance 5 1954-7 - Confusion and Disruption 6 1957-66 - Betrayal and Adversity 7 1976-2009 - Resurrection and Death 8 2010-17 - The Final Messages Afterword - Xinran Acknowledgements Index