Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption and Vengeance in Today's China
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- Create Date：2021-11-23 06:50:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Desmond Shum
- ISBN：1398510378
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Summary
As Desmond Shum was growing up impoverished in China， he vowed his life would be different。 Through hard work and sheer tenacity， he earned an American college degree and returned to his native country to establish himself in business。 There， he met his future wife， the equally ambitious Whitney Duan who was determined to make her mark within China’s male-dominated society。 Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and， aided by relationships they formed with top members of China’s Communist Party， the so-called Red Aristocracy， he vaulted into China’s billionaire class。
Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport， and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels。 But in 2017， their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond， while living overseas with his son， learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three co-workers。
Red Roulette Desmond Shum pulls back the curtain on China’s ruling elite and reveals the real truth of what is happening inside China’s wealth-making machine。 This is both Desmond’s story and Whitney’s， because she has not been able to tell it herself。
Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport， and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels。 But in 2017， their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond， while living overseas with his son， learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three co-workers。
Red Roulette Desmond Shum pulls back the curtain on China’s ruling elite and reveals the real truth of what is happening inside China’s wealth-making machine。 This is both Desmond’s story and Whitney’s， because she has not been able to tell it herself。
Reviews
Lawrence Nah
，
Gist - Go watch sixty minutes australia （interview with the author） and save yourself all the hours from reading this book。 All you need to know is nicely summarized and carefully made into a 16 min video。 - https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=bOtVM。。。Unless you're all up for reading the chinese equivalent of TMZ tabloid gossip and bombshell revelations of names of people you had never heard of or care enough to know before picking up this book - go for it。 The first couple of chapters is a dull rec Gist - Go watch sixty minutes australia （interview with the author） and save yourself all the hours from reading this book。 All you need to know is nicely summarized and carefully made into a 16 min video。 - https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=bOtVM。。。Unless you're all up for reading the chinese equivalent of TMZ tabloid gossip and bombshell revelations of names of people you had never heard of or care enough to know before picking up this book - go for it。 The first couple of chapters is a dull recap of the author's childhood and early adulthood memories; how tall he was， how he got into the school's swimming team - yada yada。 I really didn't care much for those details although I sense the author felt necessary to share them and drive home the message that he had a rough time before making his billions。 The last two chapters of the book is where the author spills the beans and airs the dirty laundry。 Corruption， nepotism at its worst form， power grabbing。 There is nothing new here。 History repeats itself。 。。。more
Kate Howarth
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Overall， I enjoyed the book’s inside look into China’s elite and how the more capitalist push prior to Xi Jinping’s rise to power played out。 The careful intertwining of political and economic power by Whitney and other Chinese entrepreneurs was fascinating to read about。 The primary reasons I do not give it five stars are the way Shum structures the book and what he chooses to address。My primary issue with the book is that it is difficult to follow along and make connections。 I read it as an au Overall， I enjoyed the book’s inside look into China’s elite and how the more capitalist push prior to Xi Jinping’s rise to power played out。 The careful intertwining of political and economic power by Whitney and other Chinese entrepreneurs was fascinating to read about。 The primary reasons I do not give it five stars are the way Shum structures the book and what he chooses to address。My primary issue with the book is that it is difficult to follow along and make connections。 I read it as an audiobook， and while the initial chapters follow his early life chronologically， the later chapters do not， jumping between years both across chapters and within。 This often made the book confusing， causing me to rewind the audiobook and re-listen to a passage or section。 The issue potentially could have been easier with a physical copy where I could flip back to refer to a aforementioned subject or individual， but the jumping back and forth still made it difficult to connect the dots。 More than a structured timeline with extensive descriptions， it felt almost like those corkboards on TV shows with the string connecting different points and people。My secondary issue was what Shum chose to address。 In an interview， Shum described that the book was originally written for his young son as a way to better know and connect with his missing mother （Shum’s ex-wife）。 As such， I can understand why the book focuses on Shum and Duan’s lives specifically。 However， if this was a book written for a twelve year old， why does it focus so much on the intricacies of the different deals the couple sought？ Why does it delve into such difficult and complex topics as Chinese politics and intricate financial dealings？ Obviously what he wrote for his son is not the product we see today， but the book would have benefitted from presenting perspective on how these different trends and systems impacted middle class and average Chinese citizens。 This would have made it more well rounded， and while Shum often reflects on how far he and Whitney had come， it does not seem as though he often draws comparisons between their lives and the lives of the everyday Chinese individual。 The book was definitely an interesting read， and I would highly recommend it， particularly considering the recent concerns with the real estate market in China and as we move further into the reign of Xi Jinping。 。。。more
Vivek
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An interesting inside view of how the elite power base in the CCP work。 The author decided to tell all， but avoided major events like Tianamen square， Xighurs etc。 Plus he conveniently omitted that he and his wife probably committed crimes by way of corruption。 But that aside it shows the corruption in the upper echelons of power in China。 Beyond that is the power they wield to jail， or "disappear" people at will。Recommended as a good read in the same vein as "Red Notice" by Bill Browder An interesting inside view of how the elite power base in the CCP work。 The author decided to tell all， but avoided major events like Tianamen square， Xighurs etc。 Plus he conveniently omitted that he and his wife probably committed crimes by way of corruption。 But that aside it shows the corruption in the upper echelons of power in China。 Beyond that is the power they wield to jail， or "disappear" people at will。Recommended as a good read in the same vein as "Red Notice" by Bill Browder 。。。more
Becky
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The author of this book comes across as a egotistical， self-aggrandizing jerk， but he provides fascinating insight into the functioning of modern politics and wealth creation in China。
Austin Denigan
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An outstanding insight into the workings of the high inner circles of China and Communist Party， as well as the struggles of creating a business in a country that is firmly anti-capitalist。
Nilesh
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Red Roulette generates many conflicting feelings， irrespective of one's views on China's political and economic systems。Clearly， it is a brave tell-all。 This reviewer cannot remember too many insider accounts that are as revealing。 The author provides corruption details involving numerous senior-most officials/politicians and their kins。 Without the risks of any litigations， there is no equivocation in the descriptions or about the perpetrators。 Yet， the author has taken huge personal/physical r Red Roulette generates many conflicting feelings， irrespective of one's views on China's political and economic systems。Clearly， it is a brave tell-all。 This reviewer cannot remember too many insider accounts that are as revealing。 The author provides corruption details involving numerous senior-most officials/politicians and their kins。 Without the risks of any litigations， there is no equivocation in the descriptions or about the perpetrators。 Yet， the author has taken huge personal/physical risks for himself and his loved ones from here to forever。 No words are enough to appreciate this bravery。The other side of the same coin is that the author has thrown a lot of people under the bus who will not have any avenues to defend themselves。 This is an account of someone who feels terribly slighted。 The pages are used to hurt everyone resented。 The book would have invited many defamation suits if the aggrieved parties had recourse in Western legal systems。 As much as the author tries to present himself as a relatively passive bystander who just happened to become immensely wealthy， there is a boatload of self-incrimination; the author may have some Western regulators too looking at his past activities by now。There are two sides to the well-presented Chinese story too。 The high-level corruption exposed would make even the biggest Sinophiles cringe。 Details of numbers and people are so eye-popping that one cannot use the old ruse that such corruption exists everywhere。 And yet， the completely one-sided book that discusses the system as made up of only crooks and thugs fails to realize how China is much more than an infrastructure story。 There are plenty of examples of countries that had some great years and decades on the back of infrastructure and buildings facilitated by corrupt politicians。 Unlike in those cases， the Chinese economy was able to transition to mass consumption and innovation since the heydays of around 2010。 There must be some extraordinary policies and actors who ensured that the system made the rare leap。 All said， a compelling and unique read。 。。。more
Sam Reaves
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China is a tough place to be a tycoon; the rewards are great but the dangers are many and the status precarious。 Did you know that over the past few years dozens of Chinese tycoons have simply disappeared？ When the Communist Party decides you've gotten too big for your britches， it's over; there's no such thing as due process。 Jack Ma， the founder of Alibaba， is a notorious recent example; he was fortunate enough to be allowed to reappear following a stint in re-education。Others have not been so China is a tough place to be a tycoon; the rewards are great but the dangers are many and the status precarious。 Did you know that over the past few years dozens of Chinese tycoons have simply disappeared？ When the Communist Party decides you've gotten too big for your britches， it's over; there's no such thing as due process。 Jack Ma， the founder of Alibaba， is a notorious recent example; he was fortunate enough to be allowed to reappear following a stint in re-education。Others have not been so lucky。 This is the story of one of them， Whitney Duan， written by her estranged husband， Desmond Shum， who was her business partner as well as her spouse during her meteoric rise in China's booming economy of the late 90s and early 2000s。 Duan disappeared four years ago and was not heard from until the eve of publication of this book， when she called Shum to beg him， too late， not to publish the book。It's easy to see why the Party didn't want this story told。 Shum was born in mainland China but raised mostly in Hong Kong， where he was exposed （pre-1997） to a much freer society， then educated in the U。S。 Upon returning to China with a finance degree he caught the wave as the Party allowed entrepreneurship to flourish， producing the astounding growth and increase in wealth that China experienced after Deng Xiaoping allowed liberalization of the economy in the early 1990s。 Along the way Shum met and married Whitney Duan， herself an up-and-coming entrepreneur from a humble background。Together they pulled off some of the most spectacular real estate development projects in China， including the creation of the Beijing Airport logistics hub。 They grew immensely wealthy， indulged in the conspicuous consumption expected of their class， and mastered the game of guanxi， the networking and influence cultivation that is the basis of business success in China。That， it turns out， is a double-edged sword。 Shum began to realize that the system was stacked in favor of the Party elite， the families of the historic companions of Mao， who constitute a communist aristocracy。 As Xi Jinping moved to consolidate his power in the 2010s， his campaign against corruption masked a ruthless drive to eliminate rivals。 Whitney Duan's connections to key players became a liability， and one day she simply disappeared。Desmond Shum lives in the U。S。 today， with his son; nothing has been heard from Whitney Duan since her recent phone call to her husband。 This book is a blistering indictment of the corrupt Communist Party dictatorship that runs a country with big-power ambitions and totalitarian habits。 A sobering read。 。。。more
Radek Vacha
，
Very realistic inside into Chinese Communist systemI read this book in one breath。 I feel， I’m product of evil Communist ideology as I lived my first half of my life in socialist country under communist ruling。 I feel my childhood has been spoiled and wasted and such communist ideology brainwashing will remain in my brain forever。 I spent two years living in China and I felt my childhood memories recall。 I understood quite well China maybe based on my past。 I guess that’s why I can read and unde Very realistic inside into Chinese Communist systemI read this book in one breath。 I feel， I’m product of evil Communist ideology as I lived my first half of my life in socialist country under communist ruling。 I feel my childhood has been spoiled and wasted and such communist ideology brainwashing will remain in my brain forever。 I spent two years living in China and I felt my childhood memories recall。 I understood quite well China maybe based on my past。 I guess that’s why I can read and understand this book easily。 It just gives me additional view to what I already know。I’m afraid that for reader from ‘normal’ countries with democratic system， this book could be hard to grasp。 I experienced quite some people confused by sound similarity of social and socialist。 They don’t know what kind of evil is hidden in socialist system。 And many of people admire Chinese glamour and glitters， pompous buildings Chinese city downtowns。 They can’t see the other side， never visited average Chinese village， to see how poor Chinese people really are， in what terrible environment and destroyed morale they have to live。I’m missing this part of the picture。 But I guess author doesn’t have such experience himself living in upper ranks of society。 It is excellent book however I’m afraid it might be a bit hard to understand for average western reader。 。。。more
Sef
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Book started off giving me vibes that the author wrote a lot of the stuff in a rather self-serving way （i。e。 how well he dressed， how tall and good looking he was / is， etc。） but it all ties in towards the second half of the book and I can see why he wrote the way he did。 Kudos also for putting everything on the line - this book is basically an expose on himself， his ex-wife and the upper echelon of China's Communist Party - which means to a certain extent， he's also putting his and his son's li Book started off giving me vibes that the author wrote a lot of the stuff in a rather self-serving way （i。e。 how well he dressed， how tall and good looking he was / is， etc。） but it all ties in towards the second half of the book and I can see why he wrote the way he did。 Kudos also for putting everything on the line - this book is basically an expose on himself， his ex-wife and the upper echelon of China's Communist Party - which means to a certain extent， he's also putting his and his son's life at risk。Hope he finds solace from a new life in the UK and taking care of his son。 Hope that he also finds justice （i。e。 on-going lawsuit to get back the money he lent to his "bestfriend"） in many of the misfortune he had experienced （deserving or not）。 。。。more
Florence
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If you have been keeping up with Chinese politics / economics， nothing in this book is really new。 Still， it’s entertaining to hear the first-hand account from an insider that has come out on the other side， and indulge on snark and gossip about powerful Chinese politicians and businessmen。I have to say Desmond Shum is really likeable in the book。 Kudos to his ghostwriter for making his childhood and formative years so vivid。 I suppose there’s an especial emotional connection as I too grew up in If you have been keeping up with Chinese politics / economics， nothing in this book is really new。 Still， it’s entertaining to hear the first-hand account from an insider that has come out on the other side， and indulge on snark and gossip about powerful Chinese politicians and businessmen。I have to say Desmond Shum is really likeable in the book。 Kudos to his ghostwriter for making his childhood and formative years so vivid。 I suppose there’s an especial emotional connection as I too grew up in Hong Kong – we went to school in the same neighbourhood and hung out in the same places。 As the book progresses， I see Shum as a （parasocial） friend and want him to succeed。But as I reflect on the story， a different feeling comes to mind – This book feels somewhat self-serving and Shum is only here to enjoy the best of both worlds。 When times were good， he was happy doing shady business and hanging out with the red elites， but after the bubble bursted and his wife was arrested， he suddenly took the moral high ground and came forward to dish out on the CCP。 It’s also hard for me to understand his relationship with Whitney – the marriage felt like a business dealing， a union of two self-absorbed， money-hungry people。I followed up by watching a few interviews with Shum。 I especially enjoyed the Cantonese ones with Simon Shen in which he explained his reason for writing the book – his son， as corny as it sounds。 He did seem pretty genuine in the interviews， but I still can’t shake off my wariness。Nonetheless this book is engrossing and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the audiobook。 I do recommend it as a fun read to learn more about China’s political system and business world。 。。。more
Elithrion
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The narrator comes off as not entirely reliable， but overall the book makes a lot of sense。 Perhaps with the benefit of hindsight， it's hard to imagine that things could be any other way。 （Although I'm sure many alternative perspectives are missed。） The narrator comes off as not entirely reliable， but overall the book makes a lot of sense。 Perhaps with the benefit of hindsight， it's hard to imagine that things could be any other way。 （Although I'm sure many alternative perspectives are missed。） 。。。more
Saptarshi
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The only reason I bought this book was because of Bill Browder's comment on the cover page。 The author is narcissistic to the core and quite proud of how he brown-nosed his way to the top。 Gaining a conscience when you get caught is hardly conscientious。The back cover makes you feel like it's going to be a story about his ex-wife's rise to the top and subsequent disappearance。 But Shun is the main protagonist of his story with little focus on the wife's story。 He's proud to have risen to the top The only reason I bought this book was because of Bill Browder's comment on the cover page。 The author is narcissistic to the core and quite proud of how he brown-nosed his way to the top。 Gaining a conscience when you get caught is hardly conscientious。The back cover makes you feel like it's going to be a story about his ex-wife's rise to the top and subsequent disappearance。 But Shun is the main protagonist of his story with little focus on the wife's story。 He's proud to have risen to the top using legal loopholes， bribes， and guanxi。 The snippets about insights on China's culture could， at best， have been a blog post。 There's nothing insightful enough to power through the 400 pages of self-serving diatribe。 。。。more
Kwang Wei Long
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Very gripping story of how a couple worked the system in China to gain wealth and ultimately how that broke the couple up。Desmond had great experience navigating the system and gave great insights to the working of China political system。
Peter Baker
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Facinating insight into the mega rich in china。 I love the stories of people trying to impress each other with their conspicuous consumption especially during their networking holidays。 A crazy way to do business
CarlitosWay
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This book made me further appreciate my life as an American。
Kelly
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Red Roulette follows the life of Desmond Shum， a Chinese-born citizen who made a fortune from the private business bonanza in China during the early 2000s， yet pays a high price。 This riveting book is fast-paced and mesmerizing。 It reads like fiction yet as far as I can tell， all the events are real。 The author includes pictures of himself and all the characters。It helps to know some recent Chinese history: mainly that substantial economic reforms were enacted in China during the 1980s and 1990s Red Roulette follows the life of Desmond Shum， a Chinese-born citizen who made a fortune from the private business bonanza in China during the early 2000s， yet pays a high price。 This riveting book is fast-paced and mesmerizing。 It reads like fiction yet as far as I can tell， all the events are real。 The author includes pictures of himself and all the characters。It helps to know some recent Chinese history: mainly that substantial economic reforms were enacted in China during the 1980s and 1990s that began allowing some private businesses to exist outside of state-controlled enterprises。 Before that， all property， businesses， factories， and farms were owned and run directly by the government by members of the Communist Party。 This enormous change （from “any private business is a crime” to millions of dollars flowing into private Chinese businesses from foreign investors） sets the scene for this book。The reader follows the author and his wife through the metamorphosis of China’s economy in the 1990s and 2000s。 Unfathomable amounts of money start flowing into the country from foreign investors and the couple are determined to get rich and make something big。 They soon find themselves navigating a smoke-and-mirrors world of “private” business controlled by strategic alliances with Communist officials and their family members。At first， the murky regulations seem like an inconvenience to be overcome。 The approvals for projects involved mountains of red tape and schmoozing with local officials， yet the couple earnestly believed the system would continue ceding control from the Communist Party to private businesses。Yet their path only gets more dangerous and opaque。 The stakes get higher。 Hundreds of millions of dollars change hands and powerful enemies emerge。 If you enjoy a good suspense novel or are interested in learning more about this window of history， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Ben
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Interesting at times， but so incredibly self-serving that it is hard to know what to believe。 > Two-thirds of the people on China’s one hundred wealthiest list would be replaced every year due to poor business decisions， criminality， and/or politically motivated prosecutions， or because they’d mistakenly aligned themselves with a Party faction that had lost its pull。
Rebecca
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Really interesting book。 I felt the author wrote this more to make himself look better and less culpable in the culture of corruption and bribery of 2000s Chinese growth。
Lesley Thomson
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A surprising memoir in that people who rise to such high levels of wealth and power do not often write about how they arrived there。 If you can cope with the Chinese names this is a very interesting book of intrigue， money， corruption and power。 Though not unique to China， it does help explain some of the theories behind their current dealings – and raises the question of what did happen to Shum’s ex-wife Whitney Duan？
Satpal
，
What a fun read！ Desmond weaved the story of his life very well with the development of China after Mao。 It was exciting to read about his growth as a person just as much as it was insightful to learn about China's development。Clearly， I don't know much about China and I want to be wary of the adage "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"， so by no means is it a primer into China - but it is a POV of someone who left after being relatively entrenched in the Chinese system。 Desmond made me feel What a fun read！ Desmond weaved the story of his life very well with the development of China after Mao。 It was exciting to read about his growth as a person just as much as it was insightful to learn about China's development。Clearly， I don't know much about China and I want to be wary of the adage "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"， so by no means is it a primer into China - but it is a POV of someone who left after being relatively entrenched in the Chinese system。 Desmond made me feel like I was sitting right beside him as he traveled from his parents' origin story of being born poor and how his appetite changes and grows as does his bank account （or rather， Whitney's）。The last chapter felt a bit of a throwaway however - after hundreds of pages of espousing capitalist ideologies and clearly having benefited from being part of the system， he adds a line that says there are more things in life than money， especially human rights and dignity。 While he clearly is a believer of "Western" human rights values， he wasn't exactly waxing poetics about it - and the closing could have been better。On the whole， a very fun read - it's definitely given me a different lens of how rich people live and it's a real shame with what？ happened to Whitney。 No doubt she was foolish - but no one should be made to extralegally disappear like that。 。。。more
Katryna
，
Read this book after hearing Bill Browder （Red Notice author） recommend it。 Overall I found it to be interesting， but I can’t help but think the real story is about to begin in the Afterward as the reader is left wondering where his ex-wife Whitney went。 Overall I can respect the stress of writing this book on Desmond’s side but I felt like some of the book went on for too long about nothing and then was very short and abrupt on other things giving it a bit of a stop-start feel。 Also， as an outs Read this book after hearing Bill Browder （Red Notice author） recommend it。 Overall I found it to be interesting， but I can’t help but think the real story is about to begin in the Afterward as the reader is left wondering where his ex-wife Whitney went。 Overall I can respect the stress of writing this book on Desmond’s side but I felt like some of the book went on for too long about nothing and then was very short and abrupt on other things giving it a bit of a stop-start feel。 Also， as an outsider to China， some of this was a little difficult to follow in terms of understanding how the political elites work and also maybe cultural customs as well。 。。。more
Robert
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A chilling inside story by one of China’s formerly minted billionaires — now presumably living in the west with his son， his ex-wife and business partner having disappeared。 Falling out with the current leadership of the CCP is not good for one’s health no matter how one may have prospered while in its good graces。 A case in point for those anywhere who find a prospect for authoritarian rule tempting。
Henry
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9。5/10
Ryan Lucas
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Good anecdotes about corruption and elite politics in China， but found the writing style tired， the constant descriptions of his ~glamorous~ lifestyle obnoxious， and his political realization contrived and self-serving once he was no longer able to exploit China’s economic system for his own benefit
Diane
，
In this biography， Desmond Shum tells a couple of stories。 First there is his own story about his rise from rags to riches。 He was born into a poor family in China and moved to Hong Kong when he was young， excelled in swimming and was able to attend college in the US。 Later moving back to China， he was driven to succeed in the business world even if it meant partnering with the upper echelon of China's communist party under former Premiere Wen Jiabao。 Shum then also tells of his marriage and sub In this biography， Desmond Shum tells a couple of stories。 First there is his own story about his rise from rags to riches。 He was born into a poor family in China and moved to Hong Kong when he was young， excelled in swimming and was able to attend college in the US。 Later moving back to China， he was driven to succeed in the business world even if it meant partnering with the upper echelon of China's communist party under former Premiere Wen Jiabao。 Shum then also tells of his marriage and subsequent divorce to an equally power driven woman named Whitney Duan and their struggle to finally have a child。 Finally， he tells the story of Wendy， his now ex-wife and her disappearance in Beijing， along with three of her coworkers in September of 2017。 In addition， Shum also gives us an insider's look at the couples involvement with the red aristocracy。I had mixed feelings about this book。 I loved the story of both Desmond and Whitneys early humble beginnings and the couples entrepreneurial spirit。 I loved learning what drove each of them to become so power hungry and prove their success even if it meant taking such risks by getting so involved with the powers that be。 It was fascinating learning about the power and corruption and the dynamics between the political factions in China from a former insider。 I also liked learning about the rise of the current ruler for life Xi Jinping。 On the other hand， what I found annoying was the constant emphasis on possessions the author and his ex-wife acquired。 There was incessant label branding along and mentions of expensive homes， private jets， fast cars， clothing， jewelry or even wine。 At times the author came across simply as power hungry and greedy。 Overall， I was still happy I listened to this one even though I had some issues with the overall story。 The audio was read by Tim Chiou who did a very good job。3。5/5 stars 。。。more
Matthew Aujla
，
“Our babies are more trustworthy。”
Lisal Kayati Roberts
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I vacillated between boredom and fascination in this courageous， but dryly， written account of the corrupt Chinese Communist party。 I carried on in the hopes of understanding more of Chinese culture and of course， to hear the story of the author’s rise and fall - especially the disappearance of his ex wife。 Quoting from his book:“ From an early age， we Chinese are pitted against one another in a rat race and told that only the strong survive。 We’re not taught to cooperate， or to be team players。 I vacillated between boredom and fascination in this courageous， but dryly， written account of the corrupt Chinese Communist party。 I carried on in the hopes of understanding more of Chinese culture and of course， to hear the story of the author’s rise and fall - especially the disappearance of his ex wife。 Quoting from his book:“ From an early age， we Chinese are pitted against one another in a rat race and told that only the strong survive。 We’re not taught to cooperate， or to be team players。 Rather， we learn how to divide the world into enemies and allies - and that alliances are temporary and allies expendable。 We’re prepared to inform on our parents， teachers， and friends if the Party tells us to。 And we’re instructed that only thing that matters is winning and that only suckers suffer moral qualms。 This is the guiding philosophy that has kept the Party in power since 1949。 Machiavelli would have been at home in China because from birth we learn that the end justifies the means。 China under the Party is a coldhearted place。” 。。。more
Andrew
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Shut recounts his experience as a Chinese entrepreneur in great detail。 So much so that he must have maintained a diary。 Shum and his wife road a gigantic wave of economic growth to substantial personal wealth。 The means to that success was largely the navigation of political forces。 His wife， in particular， used political networking by attaching herself to those who had substantial sway。 Shum cynically benefitted and even supported the power structure。Until he didn't - and his， now， ex-wife dis Shut recounts his experience as a Chinese entrepreneur in great detail。 So much so that he must have maintained a diary。 Shum and his wife road a gigantic wave of economic growth to substantial personal wealth。 The means to that success was largely the navigation of political forces。 His wife， in particular， used political networking by attaching herself to those who had substantial sway。 Shum cynically benefitted and even supported the power structure。Until he didn't - and his， now， ex-wife disappeared。 There's nothing pretty about the Chinese system as portrayed by Shum。 Playing the power game of Chinese politics is risky， particularly since the sands of influence shift dramatically。 The consequences of falling out of favor can be deadly。 This story makes what we read about Chinese politics and business being intertwined vivid。 。。。more
Nick Dacres-Mannings
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A compelling read on China by an insiderRed Roulette is a must read for anyone wanting to understand China。 Unfortunately the news is not positive for China， Hong Kong or the rest of the world。 Nor are things going to change soon。 This insider’s guide to the intersection of business and politics is fascinating。 It ranks next to the book by Mao’s doctor。 According to Shun’s China exists to benefit the red aristocracy。 The people， rule of law， business and other countries are to be subverted or co A compelling read on China by an insiderRed Roulette is a must read for anyone wanting to understand China。 Unfortunately the news is not positive for China， Hong Kong or the rest of the world。 Nor are things going to change soon。 This insider’s guide to the intersection of business and politics is fascinating。 It ranks next to the book by Mao’s doctor。 According to Shun’s China exists to benefit the red aristocracy。 The people， rule of law， business and other countries are to be subverted or coerced if they are in the way。 The arbitrary disappearance of Whitney Duan should be an international issue。 The fact that this book is published hopefully will make it so。 I do wonder whether it will be allowed to be sold in Hong Kong。 。。。more
Justin Bumstead
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