This is part two of our series with Joseph Torigian, author of the definitive biography of Xi Zhongxun. This episode traces the inner world of a man navigating power politics, exile, and reform, and the legacy he left his son, Xi Jinping.

Against the backdrop of the Great Leap Forward, the Sino-Soviet split, the Cultural Revolution, and reform and opening up, we discuss…

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  The moral dilemmas of a mid-level party cadre,

  
  


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  What it’s like to be purged, and why the party prescribes self-criticism as therapy,

  
  


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  “Frenemies” in the CCP, Deng Xiaoping’s autocratic side, and the unsung heros of the reform period,

  
  


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  How Xi Zhongxun instilled party loyalty and other values in his son,

  
  


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  Xi Zhongxun’s return from exile and his complicated relationship with reform,

  
  


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  How Chinese leaders think about redemption, guilt, and survival,

  
  


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  And a bonus: Why the PRC-produced biopic of Xi Zhongxun is so disappointing — and why his life deserves the Star Wars treatment.

  
  

Outro music: Teresa Teng - 小城故事 (YouTube Link)

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