The Memoirs of Li Zongren (Volumes 1 and 2): Spine or cover may have flaws

Author: Li Zongren (dictated), Tang Degang (written)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-12-01
Features: A legendary figure in modern China, an indispensable work on Republican politics. I have lived for seventy years as an important member of the Chinese revolutionary movement for nearly thirty years. In the Northern Expedition, we, with tens of thousands of troops, swiftly advanced from Zhennan Pass to Shanghain Pass; in the Anti-Japanese War, we, with backward equipment, trapped millions of modern Japanese troops in, ultimately forcing them to surrender unconditionally. This is not because revolutionaries like us have three heads and six arms, but because the revolutionary tide is an irresistible force of history. Later, the Communist Party's sweeping across the mainland also followed this trend. I personally witnessed this fervent revolutionary movement for decades and deeply understood its unstoppable momentum. Any reactionary force that dares to oppose it will inevitably be destroyed. I sincerely hope that the country's rulers in the future will ponder these words. — Li Zongren At the beginning of writing this, Li and I originally planned to add a book titled "My China" alongside the "Reminiscences," similar to how the popular "Eisenhower in Europe" in the United States was paired with "The Crusade in Europe." In 1965, when Li Zongren returned to China, this manuscript was already in the hands of Huang Xuchu, and Li himself had an English draft copy. It is said that when Chairman Mao Zedong met with Li, he inquired about this draft and intended to review it. Unfortunately, Chairman Mao was not proficient in English, and Li had no Chinese version, so Chairman Mao personally instructed that the English draft be sent to the Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages for translation back into Chinese. Today, this "Reminiscences of Li Zongren," larger in scope than the "Records of the Grand Historian," has both Chinese and English versions, each with its own strengths, and both have finally been presented to readers. — Tang Degang Tang Degang was a vivid and outstanding historian of modern China. He persuaded Li Zongren to begin dictating his reminiscences at the request of the Oral History Department of the Chinese Studies Division at Columbia University in the United States. However, Li Zongren's memory was limited, and his insights were incomplete, so the content and structure of the reminiscences would have needed the guidance and assistance of an esteemed individual to be published. And indeed, an esteemed individual—Tang Degang—was right there. In such a perfect match, Tang Degang eventually completed this masterpiece. — Li Ao This book is a complete record of the extraordinary career of Mr. Li Zongren and a faithful portrayal of his inner journey through all stages of his life. It is also one of the most thoroughly researched, labor-intensive, and troubled historical works among my published works. Mr. Li Zongren spent over seventy years crafting the many astonishing stories in this book, while I devoted nearly six years—six of the most productive years of my life—to recording it in both Chinese and English. The original version of this book was merely a Chinese "draft" used for translation purposes. According to the contract and writing plan between Li and the original funding institution, the Columbia University East Asian Institute's Oral History Department of Chinese Studies, the Chinese version could only be published after the English version was released, following revision and refinement. In short, over the more than twenty years from the initial discussions to the publication of this book, the traces embedded in the author's personal life story—whether bitter or sweet—are immortal. The fact that it is now published in its current form can also be considered a "work of righteous indignation" by the "writer."