The memoirs of ousted Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang sold out in Hong Kong bookshops before the official release date yesterday.
Bao Pu, the son of Zhao’s key aide Bao Tong who translated the memoirs into English, said he was pleased by the book’s impact.
“I’m satisfied by such a good response,” Mr. Bao said. “Distributors who only ordered the Chinese edition have now also reserved English copies. Zhao’s memoirs are awakening public consciousness of the June 4 incident, which was the goal of the release.”
The English hardcover edition of Prisoner of the State was scheduled for worldwide release yesterday. It was the 20th anniversary of Zhao’s last public appearance, when he arrived in Tiananmen Square to convince students to stop their hunger strikes and protest. But Dymocks in Prince’s Building and Page One outlets - which broke the embargo and started displaying the book at the weekend - said it had sold out.
“All three of our chain stores sold out on the first day and we are now ordering more copies from London,” a sales representative from the Page One outlet in Central said yesterday. “New copies will arrive as soon as next week.”
Both companies refused to reveal how many copies they had sold, but said it was one of the hottest-selling books they had put on the shelves.
The Chinese-language edition, Journey of the Reforms, is published by Mr. Bao’s New Century Press and will be released on May 29. “The Chinese edition has already had three press runs to meet soaring demand,” Mr. Bao said.
He refused to divulge the number of copies that would be printed, but said it would be the biggest book of his publishing career.
“I’ve only published a dozen or so books, each with a run of about 300 copies, but this time it is much more,” he said. “This should be credited to all media and experts who paid attention to Zhao’s memoirs.”
Meanwhile, Beijing yesterday gave its first official reaction to the memoirs, but still maintained the official verdict on the pro-democracy movement in 1989. “Our party and government long ago reached a clear conclusion about the events in China of the late 1980s, the political disturbances then and all related issues,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.
“During the last 30 years of reform and opening up, the development of China’s economy and society has been enormously successful.”
Zhao, who died in 2005 after years under house arrest, secretly recorded recollections of his time at the apex of power and his ousting by party hardliners in 1989.
He denounced the killings of protesters and onlookers around Tiananmen Square as a tragedy, and rejected the government claim that the protests were an anti-communist conspiracy.
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Zhao’s memoirs sell out before official release
Minnie Chan and Reuters
20 May 2009
The memoirs of ousted Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang sold out in Hong Kong bookshops before the official release date yesterday.
Bao Pu, the son of Zhao’s key aide Bao Tong who translated the memoirs into English, said he was pleased by the book’s impact.
“I’m satisfied by such a good response,” Mr. Bao said. “Distributors who only ordered the Chinese edition have now also reserved English copies. Zhao’s memoirs are awakening public consciousness of the June 4 incident, which was the goal of the release.”
The English hardcover edition of Prisoner of the State was scheduled for worldwide release yesterday. It was the 20th anniversary of Zhao’s last public appearance, when he arrived in Tiananmen Square to convince students to stop their hunger strikes and protest. But Dymocks in Prince’s Building and Page One outlets - which broke the embargo and started displaying the book at the weekend - said it had sold out.
“All three of our chain stores sold out on the first day and we are now ordering more copies from London,” a sales representative from the Page One outlet in Central said yesterday. “New copies will arrive as soon as next week.”
Both companies refused to reveal how many copies they had sold, but said it was one of the hottest-selling books they had put on the shelves.
The Chinese-language edition, Journey of the Reforms, is published by Mr. Bao’s New Century Press and will be released on May 29. “The Chinese edition has already had three press runs to meet soaring demand,” Mr. Bao said.
He refused to divulge the number of copies that would be printed, but said it would be the biggest book of his publishing career.
“I’ve only published a dozen or so books, each with a run of about 300 copies, but this time it is much more,” he said. “This should be credited to all media and experts who paid attention to Zhao’s memoirs.”
Meanwhile, Beijing yesterday gave its first official reaction to the memoirs, but still maintained the official verdict on the pro-democracy movement in 1989. “Our party and government long ago reached a clear conclusion about the events in China of the late 1980s, the political disturbances then and all related issues,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.
“During the last 30 years of reform and opening up, the development of China’s economy and society has been enormously successful.”
Zhao, who died in 2005 after years under house arrest, secretly recorded recollections of his time at the apex of power and his ousting by party hardliners in 1989.
He denounced the killings of protesters and onlookers around Tiananmen Square as a tragedy, and rejected the government claim that the protests were an anti-communist conspiracy.
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