The events of the Beijing Spring of 1989 were amongst the most momentous of China's tumultuous 20th century. What began as a peaceful memorial demonstration following the death of a popular reform leader, soon developed into a massive pro-democracy movement with Tiananmen Square as the focal point. As hundreds of thousands of students and workers poured onto the Beijing streets, the Chinese government responded first by declaring martial law and then, on 4th June, fatefully sending in the People's Liberation Army to crush the protesters forcefully.

An NYRB Classics Original

Set in the early years of Mao's China, Naked Earth is the story of two earnest young people confronting the grim realities of revolutionary change. Liu Ch'uan and Su Nan meet in the countryside after volunteering to assist in the new land reform program. Eager to build a more just society, they are puzzled and shocked by the brutality, barely disguised corruption, and ruthless careerism they discover, but then quickly silenced by the barrage of propaganda and public criticism that is directed at anyone who appears to doubt a righteous cause. Joined...