The Red Emperor
'the most vivid and compelling biography of Xi published to date' Financial Times
Published on 3. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-0354-1351-5 (ISBN)
Description
'Michael Sheridan is one of the best informed and wisest writers on China' - Chris Patten, last governor of Hong Kong
The Red Emperor presents an eye-opening portrait of Xi Jinping, the man who presides over 1.4 billion people and the second largest economy on earth. Born a 'princeling' to one of Communist China's ruling families, the young Xi was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He fought his way back to the top by stealth, privilege and guile. In 2012, following the spectacular fall of his rival Bo Xilai, Xi Jinping became the leader of China.
In a compulsively readable narrative, veteran foreign correspondent Michael Sheridan takes the reader from the poor, isolated country of Xi's youth to the military and economic superpower of today. In Xi's new China, family mafias struggle for power amid murder, corruption and sex scandals as ministers and generals vanish in purges. No one is safe in his techno-security state. Xi is an absolute ruler whose word is law on everything from war and peace to the ruthless campaign against Covid-19. He aims to dominate world trade, to defeat Western democracy and to make China the supreme power in the East. A loner and a risk-taker, he is the most consequential leader of our time.
Drawing on intimate stories from the closed world of China's leading families and two decades of first-hand reporting, Michael Sheridan sheds new light on the history and politics of China. The book reveals that behind the facade of the Chinese Communist Party there is a modern dynasty and a new emperor.
The Red Emperor presents an eye-opening portrait of Xi Jinping, the man who presides over 1.4 billion people and the second largest economy on earth. Born a 'princeling' to one of Communist China's ruling families, the young Xi was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He fought his way back to the top by stealth, privilege and guile. In 2012, following the spectacular fall of his rival Bo Xilai, Xi Jinping became the leader of China.
In a compulsively readable narrative, veteran foreign correspondent Michael Sheridan takes the reader from the poor, isolated country of Xi's youth to the military and economic superpower of today. In Xi's new China, family mafias struggle for power amid murder, corruption and sex scandals as ministers and generals vanish in purges. No one is safe in his techno-security state. Xi is an absolute ruler whose word is law on everything from war and peace to the ruthless campaign against Covid-19. He aims to dominate world trade, to defeat Western democracy and to make China the supreme power in the East. A loner and a risk-taker, he is the most consequential leader of our time.
Drawing on intimate stories from the closed world of China's leading families and two decades of first-hand reporting, Michael Sheridan sheds new light on the history and politics of China. The book reveals that behind the facade of the Chinese Communist Party there is a modern dynasty and a new emperor.
Reviews / Votes
Deeply researched . . . incisive . . . The early part of The Red Emperor by Michael Sheridan has even a reader unschooled in psychoanalysis wondering about the sort of life-long imprint that trauma can inflict . . . the most vivid and compelling biography of Xi published to date. -- James Kynge * Financial Times * Michael Sheridan is one of the best informed and wisest writers on China. This book on Xi Jinping should be widely read by all who are interested in the life and times of the man who is likely to be the last Emperor of China. -- Chris Patten, last Governor of Hong Kong Extraordinary . . . compelling * Daily Mail * . . . accessible and very readable, especially given the complexities of the material at hand. Historical fact is easily explained and interwoven with anecdotes from different corners which make for a really gripping read. If you've ever wanted to learn more about the man behind today's China, then this is the perfect gateway. * PA Media * Immensely readable, it deftly navigates the complexities of the subject matter, effortlessly and plainly explaining historical fact and bringing it to life with gripping anecdote. * Sunday Post * This is a fast-paced and well-written biography. Sheridan identifies the key events and people, and then works them together into a dramatic narrative. * Literary Review * Boisterous, no-holds-barred . . . the fact Sheridan is not beholden to maintaining access to China, like some other recent authors of books on Xi, makes this a fairly comprehensive account for the general reader. * The Irish Times * a racily readable account of Xi that moves fluidly between the attested public record and more contested allegations. It progresses clearly and helpfully through Xi's backstory, career, likely influences and espoused ideas. -- Julia Lovell * The Times * the best and most complete Xi bio to date -- Paul French, author of Midnight in PekingMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
Approximately 30 colour/black & white photographs
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
268 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-1351-5 (9781035413515)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Michael Sheridan
The Red Emperor
'the most vivid and compelling biography of Xi published to date' Financial Times
E-Book
08/2024
Headline Press
€7.99
Available for download
Person
Michael Sheridan first reported from Hong Kong and China in June 1989 and later served as the Far East correspondent of the Sunday Times for 20 years, covering the rise of China, the handover of Hong Kong in 1997 and the city's struggle for democracy. Earlier he worked for Reuters, ITN and the Independent, reporting on war in the Middle East, global diplomacy and European politics, with postings in Rome, Beirut and Jerusalem. His work has also appeared in the Spectator, Tablet, Vanity Fair and the Hong Kong Economic Journal. In 2021 he published The Gate to China, a critically acclaimed history of Hong Kong.