HKU Bulletin January 2011 (Vol. 12 No. 1)

Books He worked that ignorance to his advantage in his research, digging up as much material as he could when the archives opened in the more liberal atmosphere prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “I’ve been trained not to assume that when there is an opportunity, that it’s part of a gradual opening up. I remember very distinctly when I was applying for grants for this project that this was a rare moment, a window of opportunity that had to be seized. I’m glad I jumped in then rather than wait for it to open more.” “I’ve been back to the archives in the past year and in nearly all cases, a certain amount of the material has been reclassified. The whole atmosphere is very much changed and it’s no longer as easy to get access. I don’t think it would be possible to research the book now. The willingness and openness that culminated with the Olympics have gone downhill ever since, including [Nobel peace prize winner] Liu Xiaobo being put behind bars.” More public knowledge of the famine may not necessarily spell bad news for China’s rulers, though. “Oddly enough, ordinary people tend to think of the regime today in a rather positive way in comparison. It’s not uncommon to hear people say it’s so much better now. So through some very bizarre twists, that catastrophe gives the party some credit today.” Professor Dikötter’s book has received enthusiastic reviews around the world and he was invited to give 16 talks and numerous media interviews during an autumn tour of Europe and the US. He is now working with his colleague, Zhou Xun, to dig deeper into the Communist Party’s history of the early 1950s and offer a similar account of the repercussions its policies had on ordinary people. Mao’s Great Famine: The History of China’s Most Devastating Catastrophe is published by Bloomsbury and Walker Books. January 1962, from left to right, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yun, Liu Shaoqi, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping at the party conference dubbed the Seven Thousand Cadres Assembly at which Liu openly blamed ’human errors’ rather than nature for the famine. 49 Dec 2010 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin Liu Shaoqi tours the countryside in his home province of Hunan in April 1961. The University of Hong Kong Bulletin www.hku.hk/publications/bulletin.html Published by the University of Hong Kong The Bulletin is the University magazine that features our latest activities, events and plans. It aims to keep the local and international community, informed of new breakthroughs in a wide range of disciplines initiated by members of the University. Editorial Team Chief Editor: Katherine Ma, Director of Communications Managing Editor: Shirley Yeung, Publications Manager Writers: Kelvin Au, Kathy Griffin, Allison Jones Design and production: Asia One Communications Group Photographer: Eric Lee & Co. Contribution and Feedback With special thanks to staff and students who kindly contributed their time and their photographs to the Bulletin . We welcome contributions of content for publication. Items should include the author’s name and University contact details. Please direct contributions, comments or suggestions to the Communications and Public Affairs Office at bulletin@hku.hk for consideration. Care for the Environment While our publication is printed on environmentally friendly paper, we urge you to share your copy with friends and colleagues, and help reduce our carbon footprint. Alternatively, you may choose to unsubscribe at bulletin@hku.hk, and read the Bulletin online at www.hku.hk/publications/bulletin.html. The University of Hong Kong Bulletin