The People's Republic of Amnesia

By Louisa Lim,

Book cover of The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited

Book description

"One of the best analyses of the impact of Tiananmen throughout China in the years since 1989." -The New York Times Book Review

On June 4, 1989, People's Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in Beijing, killing untold hundreds of people. A quarter-century later, this defining event remains…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The People's Republic of Amnesia as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

June 4, 1989 changed everything in China. When People’s Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians, they killed hundreds of people and destroyed the political legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party. A quarter-century later, this event remains buried in China's modern history, successfully expunged from collective memory. In The People's Republic of Amnesia, Louisa Lim investigates how the Chinese state re-wrote its own history to absolve itself of those killings. By explaining state efforts to erase Tiananmen, and how non-state actors attempt to revive its memory, this book invites us to consider the consequences of suppressing the past.  

Want books like The People's Republic of Amnesia?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The People's Republic of Amnesia.

Browse books like The People's Republic of Amnesia

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in China, presidential biography, and Shanghai?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about China, presidential biography, and Shanghai.

China Explore 576 books about China
Presidential Biography Explore 18 books about presidential biography
Shanghai Explore 51 books about Shanghai