Remaking Beijing

Reviews / Votes

Tiananmen Square . . . has become both metaphor and reality for the exercise of Chinese state power. In his fascinating book, the art historian Wu Hung deconstructs the squares many images of authority, from the Martyrs Memorial where Mao laid the foundation stone to the clock that counted down to the handover of Hong Kong. * John Gittings, <i>The Guardian</i> * Wu Hung sensitively intertwines his learned analysis with a personal account of how Tiananmen influenced him and his family. He explains how the Communists decided to turn the area in front of the Forbidden City from a relatively private space into an overpowering public one. * Jonathan Mirsky, <i>TLS</i> * This highly original book shows how the transformation of Beijing was dominated first by a resolve to infuse the citys public spaces with new political meaning, and more recently by the desire for a capital that reflects China&#39s status as a world power. * <i>Times Higher Education Supplement</i> * The authors balanced but sensitive observation complements the scholarly narrative, and yet avoids the trivialising self-absorption that can spoil personal reactions to these momentous events. * <i>Asian Affairs</i> * Remaking Beijing explores the changing meaning of what is arguably modern Chinas most important politically charged space, Tiananmen Square. Wu Hung brings to the book a lifetime of different sorts of encounters with this locale, as well as the public events and artistic experiments that have taken place there or invoked it . . . This exciting book by a very important figure will have a considerable impact both within and beyond the field of Chinese studies. * Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Indiana University *