Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2024. US$40.00, cloth. ISBN 9780674659582.
Typically, biographies conclude somberly with the death of their protagonists. Yet, in this expertly crafted biography of Zhou Enlai, Chen Jian adopts a non-linear narrative, beginning with Zhou’s funeral. The starkly contrasting reactions—profound mourning among the Chinese populace versus Mao’s notable ambivalence—sets the stage for exploring the complex legacy of one of the most consequential leaders of twentieth-century China. While the rich literature on modern Chinese history throws the spotlight on Mao’s towering presence, Chen tactfully pulls Premier Zhou Enlai from the shadows and presents an alternative history of twentieth-century China from the point of view of one of its less celebrated historical figures.
The scholarship on Zhou is rich and diverse across English and Chinese language sources. Works such as official biographies by Jin Chongji present an idealized narrative emphasizing Zhou’s contribution and loyalty to the Communist cause. Conversely, more critical perspectives, like Gao Wenqian’s Zhou Enlai: The Last Perfect Revolutionary published in English offer starkly different portrayals, emphasizing Zhou’s complicity in the political purges during Mao’s tumultuous rule. Chen has attempted to synthesize these narratives by acknowledging Zhou’s role and placing it within the brutal logic of revolutionary politics.
Central to Chen’s biography is the intricate relationship between Zhou and Mao, but Zhou here is not just Mao’s restrained foil. Chen breathes life into his protagonist by sculpting a profoundly fallible human presence shaped by moral ambiguity, intellectual adaptability, and a keen sense for political survival. The narrative evidently presents a more favourable portrayal of Zhou over Mao. Chen justifies his preference without simplification. And through meticulous examination of evidence Chen expands on familiar themes, and challenges previous interpretations, thereby presenting a more layered historical figure.
While reiterating that Zhou never shared Mao’s aspiration for leadership, in part 2 “MakingRevolution,” Chen also throws light on Zhou’s attempt to limit Mao’s influence in the party. For instance, following Mao’s dismissal as political commissar of the First Frontal Army at the Ningdu Conference of 1931, Zhou actively defended the indispensability of Mao’s military genius with other senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders such as Ren Bishi and Xiang Ying, who held less favourable views of Mao; at the same time, it was Zhou who set in motion the events leading up to Mao’s dismissal (99–126).
Similarly, while the author stresses the important role Zhou played in organizing the party’s mammoth administrative and intelligence apparatus, he also reflects on Zhou’s shortcomings in ignoring Mao’s military advice and misgauging Chiang Kai Shek’s intentions. Such mistakes made Zhou vulnerable to Mao’s political maneuvering and would come to haunt him for the rest of his political career. This leads one to wonder if Zhou’s aspirations were perhaps tempered not by his personality as the author repeatedly suggests, but by his political miscalculations and military blunders in the early years.
Chen’s biography also provokes other works that contextualize Zhou as a mere functionary in Mao’s China. Works like Jonathan Spence’s Mao Zedong: A Life (2006), and Philip Short’s Mao: A Life (1999) present Zhou through the prism of his relationship with Mao, often relegating him to a supporting role. By illuminating Zhou’s intellectual independence and agency more robustly, Chen has managed to shift the analytical focus. He stresses Zhou’s balancing act, for instance, during the Cultural Revolution, marked by attempts at moderating Mao’s radicalism while preserving his own political survival and China’s fragile stability. Chen does not unequivocally condemn or absolve Zhou; rather, he lays bare Zhou’s tragic predicament with empathetic yet critical eyes.
This book also engages and compliments other works on China’s modern history, such as Maurice Meisner’s Mao’s China and After (1977) and Roderick MacFarquhar and Michael Schoehal’s Mao’s Last Revolution (2006). These works provide the background against which Chen places Zhou’s actions, highlighting his crucial yet constrained role during periods of intense ideological turmoil like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.
One of the most important contributions of this work would be Chen’s careful unpacking of Zhou’s diplomatic legacy. Chen’s archival-driven research provides a deeper understanding of Zhou’s negotiation technique. The book fleshes out Zhou’s lasting legacy on Cold War geopolitics through a detailed evaluation of Zhou’s role in the 1954 Geneva Conference, Bandung Conference of 1955, and Nixon’s visit of 1972.
Chen also vividly constructs Zhou’s formative years through his friendships and relationships. This includes his relationship with his biological and adoptive mothers and how it shaped his personality; the early influence of his teachers; and his academic journey from Shenyang to Nankai, Tokyo, Paris, and London and the role that played in shaping his ideological evolution. Readers get to encounter consequential figures like Zhu De and Deng Xiaoping in their early years too, and observe how their lives evolve through the lens of Zhou’s story.
Despite its strengths, the book isn’t without limitations. The density of details pertaining to Cold War diplomacy might overwhelm readers less versed in the subject. Moreover, despite the richness of Chen’s archival exploration, the emotional depths of Zhou’s personal relationships—like with Deng Yingchao, his wife of 50 years, and his adopted daughter Sun Weishi who met a tragic end during the Cultural Revolution—remain elusive. This leaves readers wishing for a more intimate portrayal of Zhou’s life, having known some of these people only through his story. However, Chen’s restraint here might reflect a deliberate choice to privilege historical accuracy over speculative intimacy.
In the broader historiography of modern China, Chen’s biography serves to balance a narrative focused on Mao’s oversized role. Through a nuanced assessment of Zhou Enlai’s legacy, Chen reminds us of the multiplicity of influences shaping China’s revolutionary history. This humane portrayal of one of China’s most enigmatic leaders invites readers to view Zhou as a mediator of Chinese modernity—neither wholly revolutionary nor entirely conservative, but rather a complicated figure who embodied the contradictions and tensions inherent in China’s transition from empire to nation-state.
Pawan Damodar Amin
Harvard-Yenching Institute, Cambridge