Why the Chang-Halliday Mao biography never came to Taiwan

You can buy the English version here, but publication of the Taiwanese edition in Chinese was aborted. This post goes into all the reasons why. Interesting, especially to those of us who’ve been keeping tabs of all the attacks and accolades the book has garnered.

The Discussion: 8 Comments

Taiwan still has a way to go in terms of freedom of expression and all that – I’d heard about this some time ago.

Anyone heard about what the status of getting it published in Hong Kong is?

August 29, 2006 @ 6:38 am | Comment

mahathir_fan, drivel from you as usual.

Given that Elizabeth II has NO power over ANY government policy, it is quite obvious that she is not responsible for any deaths.

Besides, if the book is that propagandist, it should suit you quite well. Or is your problem that it’s not your kind of propaganda? ;D

August 30, 2006 @ 6:09 am | Comment

Raj, Mahathir Fan is one of the Interent’s most notorious and disgusting trolls. His comment will be deleted in a moment, if you have any final words for him.

August 30, 2006 @ 7:13 am | Comment

Raj, I believe this case has more to do with General Hu Tsung-nan’s family threatening of legal action and the publisher not willing to take the heat. It doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of freedom of expression in Taiwan. I’m also keeping an eye on whether a HK publisher will take on the project but haven’t heard of anything yet. I’ll post a reminder once I do.

August 30, 2006 @ 8:06 am | Comment

Fat Cat

That is a fair comment to make, but I am not sure whether the publisher let itself be bullied by that threat. There are very negative bibliographies/comments made of historical figures from the 20th century in the UK, but I can’t remember a publisher not going ahead with them because the family threatened to sue.

If the publisher had little or no choice because there was a serious threat of it losing, then that shows the court system restricts freedom of speech too much. If the chance of losing was not so significant, then the publisher was letting itself be intimidated and is almost an example of “self-cenorship”.

August 30, 2006 @ 10:30 am | Comment

Here’s the latest on the Mao book publication in HK. I’m not sure why the blog’s author goes off all over the ESWN guy. Can anyone shed some light on the acrimony? Anyhow, I’m glad the book is out. A good gift for my Chinese wife on the 30th anniversary of the Dear Chairman’s departure…

http://levitator.blogspot.com/2006/09/eswn-and-mao-i-just-saw-this-on-eswn.html

September 8, 2006 @ 7:10 pm | Comment

Here’s the latest on the Mao book publication in HK. I’m not sure why the blog’s author goes off all over the ESWN guy. Can anyone shed some light on the acrimony? Anyhow, I’m glad the book is out. A good gift for my Chinese wife on the 30th anniversary of the Dear Chairman’s departure…

http://levitator.blogspot.com/2006/09/eswn-and-mao-i-just-saw-this-on-eswn.html

September 8, 2006 @ 7:10 pm | Comment

Thanks Canrun, I blogged it.

September 9, 2006 @ 5:21 am | Comment

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