Red gambling: The corruption behind China's modern financial power transactions that frightens the CCP's top leaders

Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China

★The Economist & Financial Times Best Book of 2021★
Political writer and cross-disciplinary thinker Fan Tuan's special article introduction, highly recommended by Kong Jierong, Barbara Demick, and Bo Ming

Together they reached the pinnacle of power and wealth, until one of them "disappeared"...

◤This is a unique and extremely significant memoir of the times.
It tells the story of how a Chinese entrepreneur couple built billions of dollars by making friends with the powerful, and why the wife suddenly disappeared. It also reveals the inside story of how China's red powerful families and China's wealthy jointly seized huge wealth.

After the Second Chinese Civil War, Shen Dong's grandfather, a lawyer, had the opportunity to leave China, but he chose to stay. Soon after, the Communists closed his law firm and seized his house. The Communists labeled his family one of the "Five Black Categories" (landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists), which meant they would never be able to attend a good school or find a good job. This meant Shen Dong was forced to grow up in discrimination and poverty. Born into such ignominious poverty, Shen Dong had one advantage: ambition. Looking back, Shen Dong's life bears a striking resemblance to China's transformation into a superpower.

After completing his university studies in the United States, Shen Dong returned to China to pursue a successful career and embrace the ideal of building his motherland. He later met Duan Weihong, a brilliant and driven entrepreneur who dared to take risks in a patriarchal society. Sharing similar aspirations with poverty, the two, through sheer perseverance and exceptional business acumen, formed a business partnership with Zhang Peili, wife of former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, propelling them to modern China's wealthy class. They not only reshaped Beijing's cityscape but also established a massive air cargo logistics center at Beijing International Airport.

▌In China, power is everything, money is nothing!

Shen Dong and Duan Weihong, who are among the richest young people in China, have been able to enter the social circles of the top leaders of the Communist Party of China and witness up close the unknown luxurious life of the Communist Party’s red families and the bloody internal struggles among senior officials.

However, on September 5, 2017, while living overseas with his son, Shen Dong learned that his ex-wife, Duan Weihong, and three colleagues had suddenly vanished from the world. They had "vanished," leaving Shen Dong and his son with only a stone-cold silence and no answers. But just before the book's publication, Duan Weihong, missing for four years, suddenly called...

From the moment Shen Dong decided to write this book, he knew he would officially embark on a life-and-death duel with the Chinese Communist Party, like "Russian Roulette", and he also realized that he had been targeted by the Chinese Communist authorities - he had already made a will to ensure that all matters were arranged properly.

In this book, Shen Dong exposes the inside story of corruption in the Chinese regime and proves to readers how much Chinese entrepreneurs rely on "connections" and the "relationship" struggles that take place behind the scenes.

This book is both the story of Shen Dong and the story of Duan Weihong, even though she could not tell it in person.
"I am like David in the Bible story taking on Goliath, even though the Chinese Communist regime is a giant a million times more powerful than Goliath." - Shen Dong

Recommended by all walks of life

Article Introduction──
Fan Juan | Well-known political writer and cross-disciplinary thinker

Highly recommended──
Bo Ming | Jerry Kong, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor | David Chang, professor at NYU Law School, former vice dean of Harvard Law School, and renowned American expert on Chinese and East Asian law | David Rainey, founder of the online news weekly "China Connection" | Bill Browder, Beijing bureau chief of "The Economist" | Barbara Demick, author of the bestselling "Red Hotline" | Author of "We Are the Happiest: The Real Lives of North Koreans" and "Eating Buddha: A City's View of the Tibetan Tragedy and Survival," former Beijing bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times

"This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the current state of China. It provides readers with a deeper understanding of the corruption within China's political arena and the political circles in Beijing." - Jeromy Cohen, Professor at NYU Law School, former Vice Dean of Harvard Law School, and a renowned American expert on Chinese and East Asian law

"Shen Dong's book offers a glimpse into how indulged Chinese elites leveraged their connections to members of the Politburo to amass billions of dollars. It's a world of Lafite, Rolls-Royce, and $100 million yachts, where friendships are forged through the exchange of one bargain after another. While a delightful read, rich in anecdotes, it also leaves readers with a profound sense of poignancy. I believe readers will leave with a richer and deeper understanding of the power dynamics between the Chinese Communist Party and the billionaires it has spawned." —Barbara. Barbara Demick, author of "We Are the Happiest: The Real Life of North Koreans" and "Eating Buddha: A City's Look at Tibet's Disaster and Survival," and former Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times

"This book is what those who follow China closely have been eagerly awaiting: a deeply personal epic that reveals the idealism, euphoria, and gluttony of post-Deng Xiaoping China... and that is exactly what is happening within China's leadership today. If this book spawns a new genre of personal history of China—and I hope it does—it will be a lasting classic of the genre. Shen Dong has written a fascinating and moving book, but he has put himself in a dangerous position." —Matt Pottinger, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor

"The Chinese Communist Party apparatus is right to worry. Its recent major scandals are re-examined in this book, which details a Chinese elite built on secrecy and fear, with family ties as one of the strongest foundations for building bonds of trust." - David Rennie, Beijing Bureau Chief, The Economist

"The writing is powerful enough to unsettle the Chinese authorities. The CCP will undoubtedly be deeply displeased with the publication of this book. Shen Dong pulls back the curtain on China's so-called economic miracle, allowing readers to glimpse the corruption, conflicts of interest, and greed at the top of the government. In modern China, few dare to resist the CCP's crackdown on dissent and honestly tell their own stories about what really happens inside the government. Shen Dong gives us the opportunity to witness the ugly underbelly of CCP high-level politics firsthand." - Bill Browder, author of the bestselling book "Red Notice"

"The content is gripping, shocking, rich in plot and detailed, and it has greatly changed my understanding of China as a country." - David Barboza, founder of the online news weekly "The Wire China"

"This is a book the Chinese Communist Party doesn't want published." -- CNN

“From the moment Shen Dong decided to write this book, he knew he had officially embarked on a ‘duel’ with the Chinese Communist Party and that he was now under the CCP’s scrutiny – he has already made a will to ensure that all matters are properly arranged. He said: ‘I am like David in the Bible story taking on Goliath, even though the Chinese Communist regime is a giant a million times more powerful than Goliath.’” – The Sunday Times

"This memoir reveals how the Chinese government regulates business and what happens when businesses cross the line. It also reveals how government bureaucrats blur the lines, keeping the threat of repression ever present." - The New York Times

"Through vivid descriptions, this book offers readers a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyles of China's leaders." - The Washington Post

"This book reveals many unknown behind-the-scenes stories. By publishing it, the world can learn about the details of Beijing's inner workings, which clearly scares the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Shen Dong has given a unique and highly readable inside account of the world's most mysterious power." - The Spectator

"This book has become a must-read about the corruption at the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party. And the sudden reappearance last week of Shen Dong's ex-wife, Duan Weihong, who was forcibly detained in Beijing and disappeared for four years, has caused a new uproar in society." -- China Watcher, a column of the American online media outlet POLITICO

"This book is rapidly becoming a must-read for experts and scholars observing China's elite politics, vividly depicting the luxurious lifestyles of China's political and business elite. Shen Dong uses his precise description of events to provide readers with a rare opportunity to gain a glimpse into the network of relationships between China's political and business elites." - The Diplomat

"This is a thrilling debut from a new author. The narrative is captivating, with an air of inevitable tragedy. Shen Dong's searing indictment of "a political system dominated by Communist slogans and bureaucrats focused solely on self-enrichment in a declining economy" is truly captivating. Anyone interested in Xi Jinping's China will be captivated by this book."—Publishers Weekly

"Shen Dong's insightful understanding of the workings of power and greed is evident in this thoughtful, slowly building, and suspenseful narrative. Observers of the enigmatic and complex nature of contemporary Chinese affairs will find much to glean from this book, offering a deeper understanding of the gamble-like nature of this new China." —Kirkus Reviews

"Shen Dong's personal account of China's turbulent economic development will not only attract the attention of scholars studying Chinese politics and business, but also deserves to be explored by the general public." - Library Journal

2023-01-17

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