The Anaconda in the Chandelier
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Home > Society and Social Sciences > Politics and government > International relations > Anaconda in the Chandelier: Writings on China
Anaconda in the Chandelier: Writings on China

Anaconda in the Chandelier: Writings on China


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About the Book

These acerbic essays, collected from Perry Link’s decades-long career as a noted Sinologist, reveal the depth of his attachment to China and his willingness to squarely face unpleasant truths about the many ways in which ordinary Chinese people have suffered from the self-serving, erratic, and often disastrous “leadership” of the Communist Party of China. Link's essays touch on politics, society, economy, literature, and art, but their primary focus is on the thoughts, feelings, and values of Chinese people. He lays out his values as he explains how, like many of his Chinese friends, he began with a naïve attraction to socialist ideals only to eventually feel disgust at the cynical betrayal of not only those ideals but even garden-variety ethics. His writing probes the ways “comrades” in the ruling regime have ruthlessly clung to and pursued the one value whose pre-eminence has never been in question: political power. The Anaconda in the Chandelier includes essays on Link’s “day job” interests in Chinese literature, popular culture, and language teaching at Princeton University. He also offers intellectual tribute to his teachers—both classroom teachers and several whose writing taught him how to see beneath the surfaces of things.

About the Author :
Perry Link has authored or co-authored ten books including Evening Chats in Beijing which was named a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." His most recent book, written with Wu Dazhi, is I Have No Enemies: The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo. Link earned a Ph.D. in Chinese history from Harvard University. He is Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies at Princeton University and Chancellorial Chair for Teaching Across Disciplines at University of California, Riverside. He lives in Riverside, CA.

Review :
"This book is a manifestation of Perry Link's deep love for the Chinese people, their humor, struggles, and courage. Anaconda in the Chandelier is packed with a deep understanding of China, astute observations of Chinese society, and unrelenting criticism of the Communist Party, all stemming from Link's devotion to one thing: truth. If you want to understand why the West got China wrong and how to get it right in the ongoing rivalry between democracy and autocracy, you need to read it." --Li Yuan, The New York Times "Most of the pieces come back to [Link's] consistent themes as a scholar: the joy of language, the silence of censorship, and the brutality of the Chinese Communist Party . . . Link has a keen eye for the circumlocutions and uncertainty of both the party's enforcers and its critics. The CCP, he notes, loves the 'vague accusation, ' which maximizes the possibility of fear and compliance . . . A book about imposed silence and self-censorship may ring particularly true for an American audience at the moment, as college administrators rush to cancel DEI programs and former critics mute themselves for fear of retaliation." --Foreign Policy "The Anaconda in the Chandelier is a work of well-crafted essays that go down easy on first reading, then beguile us into protracted contemplation of the deep structure of contemporary China and the modern world." --Modern Chinese Literature & Culture "Incisive, wise, deeply humane, this collection is a true gem from a China scholar who is a rarity in his field. Distilled from a lifelong engagement with Chinese language and culture at an astonishingly high level, a wealth of compelling, compassionate observations and critical dissections, including some rather uncomfortable truths about China, is revealed here through fluid essays as well as Link's ironic personal transformation, to borrow CCP lingo, from 'a friend of China' to 'a hostile foreign element.'" --Jianying Zha, author of Tide Players and China Pop "Readers interested in contemporary China will find useful perspectives in these essays by a veteran China watcher." --Kirkus Reviews "Anaconda is a slippery book to pin down, something of a critique by stealth of the impossibility of China becoming what the CCP dreams of. That is most evident in the tortured struggles that Link depicts taking place in literature, the arts, in the realm of human rights and even in obscure cultural sectors such as the traditional comedic form or xiangsheng, usually translated as "cross talk." But Anaconda does all the above while not holding back on calling a spade a spade." --China Diction "Based in solid academic work and far-reaching historical vision, and steeped in the language and cultural psychology of the Chinese people, Professor Link, with a pen as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cuts to the core of issues that are hidden to most observers but profound in their implications. A fascinating book that you won't be able to put down!" --Cai Xia, retired professor at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China in Beijing "In contrast to Western apologists for the Chinese Communist Party, Perry Link actually does love China. His love is based on decades of friendship with real Chinese people of all walks of life and on a thorough knowledge of Chinese society that he displays in this wonderfully written collection of essays. A must for anyone who wants to understand the world's other superpower." --Jean-Philippe Béja, Research Professor Emeritus, National Center for Scientific Research and the Center for International Studies and Research at Sciences Po, Paris "With a keen ear to the nuances of thought and speech in China, Perry Link opens an utterly fresh perspective upon the doings and misdoings of the Communist regime. This renowned scholar of literature has crafted a collection of graceful essays while being a first-hand witness to the complexities of US-China relations." --Vera Schwarcz, Professor emerita of History, Wesleyan University PRAISE FOR PERRY LINK'S OTHER BOOKS: "A lively survey of today's China as seen by [its] brooding intellectuals. A terrific book." --Nicholas Kristof, New York Times Book Review, on Evening Chats in Beijing "[An] utterly absorbing gem of a book." --Library Journal on Evening Chats in Beijing "An invaluable opening onto China's best and brightest hearts and minds." --Kirkus Reviews on Evening Chats in Beijing "Meticulously researched and wonderfully crafted . . ." --Foreign Affairs on I Have No Enemies "A moving biography of the courageous Liu Xiaobo. Told with affection, insight, and rich details . . ." --Ha Jin, author of Waiting, on I Have No Enemies "An extraordinary work." --Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, on I Have No Enemies


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781589881983
  • Publisher: Paul Dry Books, Inc
  • Publisher Imprint: Paul Dry Books, Inc
  • Height: 228 mm
  • No of Pages: 287
  • Spine Width: 19 mm
  • Weight: 408 gr
  • ISBN-10: 1589881982
  • Publisher Date: 18 Feb 2025
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: Writings on China
  • Width: 150 mm


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