Death of a Maverick Historian

The outpouring of grief over the death of a 57-year-old historian sparked debate on the role of intellectuals in Chinese society and their uneasy relationship with political power. Gao Hua, a professor of Nanking University specializing in the history of the Communist Party, died in December of liver cancer. His book "How Did the Red Sun Rise: The Cause and Effect of the Rectification Movement in Yan'an," recounts the systematic manipulation to remold human minds as a means to consolidate Mao Zedong's supreme power. He presented an unvarnished picture of the political infighting at the top and subsequent purges that was to become the prototype for more such movements in the years to come. If many of the arguments are received wisdom, Gao's meticulously sourced research made them all the more powerful. The book, published in Hong Kong in 2000 and widely pirated in mainland China, resonates deeply with Chinese intellectuals.