The Red Emperor, Michael Sheridan
The Red Emperor, Michael Sheridan
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Red Emperor
'the most vivid and compelling biography of Xi published to date' Financial Times

Author: Michael Sheridan

Narrator: Daniel York Loh

Unabridged: 10 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Headline Press

Published: 08/29/2024


Synopsis

'Michael Sheridan is one of the best informed and wisest writers on China' - Chris Patten, last governor of Hong Kong

The Red Emperor presents an eye-opening portrait of Xi Jinping, the man who presides over 1.4 billion people and the second largest economy on earth. Born a 'princeling' to one of Communist China's ruling families, the young Xi was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He fought his way back to the top by stealth, privilege and guile. In 2012, following the spectacular fall of his rival Bo Xilai, Xi Jinping became the leader of China.

In a compulsively readable narrative, veteran foreign correspondent Michael Sheridan takes the reader from the poor, isolated country of Xi's youth to the military and economic superpower of today. In Xi's new China, family mafias struggle for power amid murder, corruption and sex scandals as ministers and generals vanish in purges. No one is safe in his techno-security state. Xi is an absolute ruler whose word is law on everything from war and peace to the ruthless campaign against Covid-19. He aims to dominate world trade, to defeat Western democracy and to make China the supreme power in the East. A loner and a risk-taker, he is the most consequential leader of our time.

Drawing on intimate stories from the closed world of China's leading families and two decades of first-hand reporting, Michael Sheridan sheds new light on the history and politics of China. The book reveals that behind the façade of the Chinese Communist Party there is a modern dynasty and a new emperor.

About Michael Sheridan

Michael Sheridan first reported from Hong Kong and China in June 1989 and later served as the Far East correspondent of the Sunday Times for 20 years, covering the rise of China, the handover of Hong Kong in 1997 and the city's struggle for democracy. Earlier he worked for Reuters, ITN and the Independent, reporting on war in the Middle East, global diplomacy and European politics, with postings in Rome, Beirut and Jerusalem. His work has also appeared in the Spectator, Tablet, Vanity Fair and the Hong Kong Economic Journal. In 2021 he published The Gate to China, a critically acclaimed history of Hong Kong.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Robert on September 05, 2024

The thing that impresses me about this book is the clarity it gives into the life and times of Xi Jin Ping. It's almost biographical but not quite. I've lived and worked in China on numerous occasions since 1983 and I've seen first hand what happens there. Michael Sheridan is very accurate in his re......more

Goodreads review by po.czytane on February 17, 2025

Biografia, do której chce się wracać. Sheridan spowodował, że chcę o Chinach czytać więcej i wiedzieć więcej.......more

Goodreads review by Jacob on October 18, 2024

An interesting if overlong account of Xi Jinping, from his early beginnings through his rise to power and the present situation in China. I felt the first few chapters on his origins and how they shaped his worldview to be the most interesting, alongside the final few chapters which looked at how he......more

Goodreads review by Zur on April 16, 2025

Początek chaotyczny, potem miejscami jakbym czytała Pudelka, a końcówka świetna. Nie mam pojęcia jak to ocenić. 3.5?......more

Goodreads review by Tylkotrocheczytam on February 27, 2025

Ogólnie to jest raczej nieźle. A jak na biografię, na którą może część osób spojrzy i pomyśli „jeny! co za nudy!”, to jest naprawdę dobrze. Sam styl pisania Sheridana jest bardzo ciekawy i przystępny. Od pierwszej połowy ciężko mi się było oderwać. Była dobrze poprowadzona i wspaniale napisana. Jedn......more


Quotes

Deeply researched . . . incisive . . . The early part of The Red Emperor by Michael Sheridan has even a reader unschooled in psychoanalysis wondering about the sort of life-long imprint that trauma can inflict . . . the most vivid and compelling biography of Xi published to date. Financial Times

Michael Sheridan is one of the best informed and wisest writers on China. This book on Xi Jinping should be widely read by all who are interested in the life and times of the man who is likely to be the last Emperor of China.

Extraordinary . . . compelling Daily Mail

. . . accessible and very readable, especially given the complexities of the material at hand. Historical fact is easily explained and interwoven with anecdotes from different corners which make for a really gripping read. If you've ever wanted to learn more about the man behind today's China, then this is the perfect gateway. PA Media

Immensely readable, it deftly navigates the complexities of the subject matter, effortlessly and plainly explaining historical fact and bringing it to life with gripping anecdote. Sunday Post

This is a fast-paced and well-written biography. Sheridan identifies the key events and people, and then works them together into a dramatic narrative. Literary Review

Boisterous, no-holds-barred . . . the fact Sheridan is not beholden to maintaining access to China, like some other recent authors of books on Xi, makes this a fairly comprehensive account for the general reader. The Irish Times

a racily readable account of Xi that moves fluidly between the attested public record and more contested allegations. It progresses clearly and helpfully through Xi's backstory, career, likely influences and espoused ideas. The Times

the best and most complete Xi bio to date