Reporting the Chinese Revolution: The Letters of Rayna Prohme

by Gregor Benton, Arthur J. Knodel, Gregor Benton (Introduction)

This is a unique account of the Chinese Revolution, seen through the eyes of American journalist Rayna Prohme. Prohme and her husband edited the Kuomintang's English-language newspaper in Wuhan. Her account of her intimate involvement in the Chinese Revolution brings to life the eventful Wuhan years of 1926-27. Her letters illuminate from a personal angle the battle for China's future. They include remarkable portraits of some of the people who shaped the Communist and Nationals movements of the time. The book consists of letters Prohme wrote to her closest friend and her husband in the period immediately before, during, and after the Wuhan Interlude. Her reporting brought her into contact with many major political figures, including Madam Sun Yat-sen (a prominent figure in the op position to Chiang Kai-shek) and Mikhail Borodin (a chief Soviet advisor in China). This book provides an unusual and often moving insight into a fascinating period in modern Chinese history.

Genres: China

216 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2007

About the author

Gregor Benton is emeritus professor of Chinese history at Cardiff University and research associate in diaspora studies, NTU, Singapore.