I Shook Hands with the Butcher of Beijing

I was teaching English in China back in 1985/86, three years before the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. China had only recently opened up to foreign influences after its experiment with a closed-door policy. Foreign "experts" were honored once a year with a huge banquet for their contributions to modernizing China. There were not many foreigners there back then, so such an event was manageable.

The one I attended was held at a banquet hall dedicated to the People's Army at Tiananmen Square. At the head table were military and political leaders, including the then vice-premier, Li Peng, who was Read more