Chronicles the history of the Chinese Revolution, focusing on the people and events of modern Chinese history, the writings of modern Chinese authors, the issues facing the People's Republic, and more.

根据照片显示的春、夏、秋、冬，力求在同样的季节、同样的位置、同样的时间、同样的光影效果下，用不同时代、不同色彩、不同面孔，展示他们不同的人生故事。五年寻找，五年拍摄，先后有300多人带着当年的回忆和珍藏已久的老照片，从北京、天津、上海、河北、山西、辽宁、江西、山东、河南、湖北、广东、四川、陕西、新疆等地赶到天安门广场，他们不辞劳苦、不谋报酬，愉快地走进了作者的作品。

The Gate of Heavenly Peace guards the southern approach to the former imperial palace in the city that used to be called Peking. Until China's last dynasty fell in 1912, it was believed that through this gate ran the main axis of the Emperor's power. In the revolutionary decades that followed, it was a meeting place for political activists, students and workers, and after the Cultural Revolution, a place for the new leader, Chairman Mao, to review his Red Guards. In the late 1970s it became again a place of protest. The Gate of Heavenly Peace is thus at once a symbol of the aspirations of the Chinese people and an emblem of the state and its autocratic traditions. This astonishing tour-de-force of historical narrative looks at the Chinese and their long revolution through the eyes of the men and women who were most caught up in its development. But, uniquely, Jonathan Spence places the familiar careers of the political leaders like Mao and Chiang Kaishek at the edge of his story. Instead he explores his theme through the lives and writings of those who were most sensitive to the processes of violent revolution, the great writers, insurrectionists, historians and poets of twentieth-century China. Professor Spence's approach achieves the most unusual revelation. For the first time, the famous and extraordinary events of the last one hundred years --- the collapse of the nineteenth century empire, the first Chinese republic, the rise of the Guomindang, the Long March, the Communist triumph of 1949, and the Cultural Revolution --- are placed in the true context of Chinese life and literature. The unsung heroes and heroines of twentieth-century China are given their proper place in the story, and the great issues of modern Chinese history --- how should China modernise? what is the role of violence in a revolution against an authoritarian state? what are the first priorities for social justice? --- suddenly come alive with a richness and vitality that is lasting and unforgettable. The Gate of Heavenly Peace makes it possible for us to understand a people whose society is only now just beginning to surrender some of its most fascinating secrets. "A brilliant achievement" --- Professor John K. Fairbank "An extraordinary book" --- San Francisco Herald "A masterpiece of style and narration" --- Harold Bloom "An unforgettable book of historical recreation" --- Theodore H. White, The New Republic "Powerful and tremendously moving" --- American Historical Review "A rare poetic intensity ... a genre of its own" --- Marina Warner, New Statesman "Elegant, deceptively simple ... his combination of scholarship and artistry has produced a historical treasure" --- Philadelphia Inquirer

在这30年间，中国的经济体制从计划走向市场，市场经济体制的框架业已形成；社会结构从城乡二元结构演变为多元化的利益格局，各个利益主体具备了不同的利益诉求；人民生活从贫穷步入小康，物质文化生活得到显著提高；国家从封闭走向开放，逐渐与世界经济融为一体。这一切翻天覆地的变化，显示了30年改革开放的巨大成就，标志着中国在现代化的历史进程中迈出了重要步伐。 认真总结好30年改革开放的宝贵经验，对我们走好以后的道路尤为重要。我们既不能用今天的认识去解读过去的历史，也不能用先验的教条来评判这场伟大的社会实践；而是应该老老实实地回到历史现场，深入挖掘历史的证据，透过历史的表象，总结出推进这一历史转变的重要经验，以期为今后的道路提供有益的借鉴。只有在对30年改革的纪念与总结中认真思考并逐一求解，才能无愧于30年的艰难探索，才能正视当前社会的各种矛盾，才能更加坚定不移地推进改革开放，使中国步人世界现代国家的行列，使中华民族融人人类社会的主流文明。

谨以本书和我的爱献给我的母亲一个人对于一个这样服从真理而又喜好寻求真理的民族还能要求什么呢？对于这样一个顺从而丰饶的国家，除了由明智而忠诚的人来促成一个贤明的人民和拥有先知、圣者和高贵人物的民族，又能要求什么呢？我们认为离收获的时间还有五个月，其实连五个星期也用不着了；因为只要我们睁开眼睛就会发现战场上战斗已经接近白热化。 ——约翰.密尔顿《论出版自由》