In 2024 Managing Editor of the Wang Jingwei and Modern China series and granddaughter of Wang Jingwei Cindy Ho, spoke with philologist Dr. Liang Jiyong about her decisions to reissue standalone paperbacks after the First Edition was sold out. Their discussion focused on the question: How can each book in the series be improved? They agreed that only by returning to original and primary historical sources can one understand Wang Jingwei’s thoughts and decisions without filter. Thankfully, Wang was a prolific writer who left us with a wealth of material to learn from.
They also pointed out that Wang’s poetry has long been misattributed, highlighting the need to compile a carefully verified, annotated, and complete collection. The dialogue also covered several deeply personal and historically rich works, including My Books, My Teacher The Diary of Wang Wenxing, Cloud, Smoke, Scattered Memories, the Memoir of Ho Mang Hang, and Prison Writings by Members of the Wang Jingwei Regime, all of which reflect the emotional depth, literary value, and political history intertwined in her family’s legacy. Watch the interviews here:
1. How are the new books better than before?
2. What is authentic Wang poetry
3. What did Wang Jingwei actually say?
4. The book we never expected to published
5. How is my father’s memoir a reliable historical source
6. Historical materials of unparalleled significance
How do you think our books can be improved today? Click and leave us a comment.
Many people today do not understand why Mr. Wang made the decision to pursue peace at the time. His daughter’s diary is a great source — it shows what she saw and experienced, and from that, we understand what society was really like. The diary was not written with any thought of being published 80 years later; it is simply her true, firsthand account of what she saw and heard — an incredibly authentic historical document.LIANG JIJONG
