Author’s Note

I was 10 years old when, in 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded. For the next 60 years, my family and I experienced China’s great upheaval, witnessed its suffering and awakening, its despair and hope, and participated in its transformation and the remarkable progress that has brought it to where it stands today. I was and am a part of that history. My life story mirrors that of my country.

As China developed from a woefully backward and impoverished nation into a superpower, the world’s attention has focused on its economy. Little does the world know, however, that during the 1950s, China had already tried its “Red Capitalist Road.” Since 1979, Deng Xiaoping’s “socialism with Chinese characteristics” has moved the nation forward along a new capitalist road under the Communist banner. In its long march to achieve a prosperous and harmonious society, China has faced tremendous social disharmonies and unprecedented challenges caused by the unresolved problems of the past and by its startlingly rapid economic growth without fundamental political reform.

I am a survivor who has come through many difficult, even life-threatening, events, campaigns, and persecutions, and I’ve been lucky enough to emerge as one of the pioneers who helped develop the economic ties between the United States and China. As China struggled, so did my family. As China progressed, so did my family. The progress has been remarkable.

Forty years ago, I would have been sentenced to life in a labor camp if I dared to write Red Circle.

Thirty years ago, I would have been placed under house arrest if I dared to write Red Circle.

Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have been allowed to reenter China if I dared to write Red Circle.

Ten years ago, I would have been spurned in China if I dared to write Red Circle.

Today, in the year of China’s 60th anniversary, I am fortunate and pleased to be able to put Red Circle into your hands, the story of a man, a family, and a nation.

Stephen Songsheng Chen, August 3, 2009, my 70th birthday