Sparks

A FINANCIAL TIMES AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023‘Johnson’s stories bring … this history chillingly alive’ Christina Patterson, Sunday Times'An indelible feat of reporting and an urgent read ... It's a privilege to read books like these' Te-Ping Chen, author of Land of Big NumbersA documentary filmmaker who uncovered a Mao-era death camp; an independent journalist who gave voice to the millions who suffered through Covid; a magazine publisher who dodged the secret police: these are some of the people who make up Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future, a vital account of how some of China's most important writers, filmmakers, and artists have overcome crackdowns and censorship to challenge the Chinese Communist Party on its most sacred ground - its monopoly on history. In traditional China, dynasties rewrote history to justify their rule by proving that their predecessors were unworthy of holding power.The Chinese Communist Party builds on these ideas to whitewash its misdeeds and justify its rule.