The Anaconda in the Chandelier: Writings on China

"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

"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

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 na?ve 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.

Author: Perry Link
Publisher: Paul Dry Books
Published: 02/18/2025
Pages: 287
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781589881983


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2025

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.