Dori Jones Yang - When the Red Gates Opened

Praise for When the Red Gates Opened

In this intimate memoir, Dori Jones Yang takes a close-up look at the emergence of China in the 1980s, from backward country to world power. Beijing bureau chief for BusinessWeek, Dori was an eyewitness to the start of this historic transformation, and she tells the story with insight and verve.

STEPHEN B. SHEPARD, former editor-in-chief, BusinessWeek

Dori Jones Yang has given us two wonderful, East-West coming-of-age stories for the price of one: Chinas metamorphosis from poor Communist backwater to quasi-capitalist powerhouse, and her own journey from rookie reporter in the male-dominated world of business journalism to respected foreign correspondent. Both tales come with their share of great leaps forward and troubling setbacks.

SCOTT D. SELIGMAN, author of The Third Degree: The Triple Murder That Shook Washington and Changed American Criminal Justice

With refreshing candor, riveting detail and sharp insights, this beautifully told memoir breaks the mold of Western journalist-discovers-China. Dori Jones Yangs wonderfully personal journey allows one to view this vastly different culture and increasingly powerful country as she didwith open eyes and heart, without prejudgment.

HELEN ZIA, author of Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Maos Revolution

This book is about two transitionsDori Jones Yangs from student to Hong Kong bureau chief for Business Week, and Chinas from central planning to an open, market economy. Beautifully written, it portrays the victories and setbacks of both awakenings.

SHANTA DEVARAJAN, professor of the Practice of International Development, Georgetown University

Like all superb memoirs, Dori Jones Yangs is not only a candid reflection of her own character and experience, but an eyewitness account of an epic time in history. Her sensitive observations and skillful writing bring the yin-yang dualities of her life into a gratifying if sometimes hard-fought balance, to deliver a story that is sweeping yet intimate, ambitious yet humble, serious yet engaging.

CLAIRE CHAO, author of Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels

As Americas relations with China stumble today, looking back to the decade of Yangs encounter with China is more important than ever.

ROBERT A. KAPP, former president, US-China Business Council

Dori Jones Yang writes particularly eloquently about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown; it marked the endpoint for China of a golden decade of economic reform and freedom while for her it was a betrayal by a country she had come to admire. This deeply personal book interweaves her desires for professional success, love, and motherhood and may inspire young women striving to balance these aspirations in their own lives.

JUDITH SHAPIRO, co-author of Son of the Revolution and of China Goes Green: Coercive Environmentalism for a Troubled Planet

Captivating! A pioneering female foreign correspondent, Dori Jones Yang captures the story of a young gal finding her wayas a journalist and as a woman. Her evolution intersects with dynamic world events, resulting in a mesmerizing tale of personal struggle, vibrant history, and real guts.

MARIANNE LILE, author of Stepmother: A Memoir

A riveting, insightful, personal account of a pivotal moment in history. Today, as China increasingly flexes its muscles on the world stage, this book provides a nuanced understanding of the challenges and promises presented by a complex global power that thinks and operates in ways so different from us.

LESLIE HELM, author of Yokohama Yankee, My Familys Five Generations as Outsiders in Japan

Copyright 2020 Dori Jones Yang

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published 2020

Printed in the United States of America

Print ISBN: 978-1-63152-751-7

E-ISBN: 978-1-63152-752-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020905896

For information, address:

She Writes Press

1569 Solano Ave #546

Berkeley, CA 94707

Interior design by Tabitha Lahr

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.

Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.

Dedicated to

my granddaughter, Maya,

and to American and Chinese children

who will, I hope, continue the approach

of mutual respect and understanding

between our two great nations

R esearching and writing this memoir felt like time travelback to the most extraordinary period of my life. To enhance my memories, I reviewed my personal journals, appointment calendars, reporters notebooks, and articles I published in the 1980s. This journey into the past brought back funny and fateful moments, painful and awkward episodes, and surprising insights into my own history and that of China.

To bring the story to life, I reconstructed conversations to the best of my memory and notes, trying to stay faithful to the tone and intention of both speakers. Before publication, I checked with many of the people mentioned in this book for accuracy and made changes as appropriate. Any errors are my own, as are my opinions.

Enjoy!

U nder a warm white sky, Tiananmen Square bustles with the joy of anarchy. Nearly one million citizens of China, overcoming their fears, have gushed forth from their tiny flats into this open space at the center of Beijing. On this May day in 1989, an eager yet uneasy sense of amazement draws me to this familiar public space, now teeming with peaceful protestors. Televised images of this scene have been sparking imaginations all over the world this week; what will I find in person?

For a better view, I head for the huge portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong, the demigod who unified and stabilized China before disrupting it. His benign-looking face hangs on the imperial palaces monumental entrance called Tiananmen, optimistically named the Gate of Heavenly Peace, gazing south over the huge plaza.

History rises from every paving stone. This is the living heart of the most populous nation on Earth, the center of power of this country that calls itself Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom, self-perceived source of all civilization and authority. I am approaching the exact spot where, for centuries, the messy lives of ordinary people met the closed corridors of their fearsome rulers. Here, Kublai Khan chose to build his fortress palace and reigned over the largest land empire ever. Here, Ming and Qing emperors ruled behind the red walls of the Forbidden City, whose front gate, Tiananmen, was almost always bolted shut. Here, Communist leader Mao Zedong declared a new peoples republic and threw open the doors of the ancient palace, only to set himself up as a capricious dictator from a high-security compound next door. Its thick crimson walls separate the guarded courts of power from the ever-larger masses of people who now gather outside, in the huge square, demanding better governance.