Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Death of Mao's China by James Palmer, is a fascinating dive into China in 1976, which was, to say the least, a tumultuous year. The beloved Zhou Enlai died, and many other founding members of the PRC joined him. Mao was terminally ill, and soon to die, and the Culture Revolution was coming to a fitful end. The entire country was on edge, as the Gang of Four and Deng Xiaoping, among other factions, were vying for power.
Then the devastating earthquake in Tangshan. It appeared, in 1976, that the Mandate of Heaven was being lifted from the Communist rulers of the PRC, and a revolution or civil war would erupt in China. If not for Deng’s deft political maneuvers, it may have well happened. After reading this book you realize how important 1976 was for the PRC; it was a pivotal transition from one era to the next.
No comments:
Post a Comment