"The Secret Emotional Life of Zhou Enlai". New book speculates: Was he gay?
From New York Times:
>>>>HONG KONG — He was a towering figure of the 20th century, instrumental in building the Chinese Communist Party from the battlefield to the halls of power. He worked alongside Mao Zedong for decades, and was revered for his rich intellect and even temperament.
And as the first premier of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai met with Henry A. Kissinger in Beijing in 1971 to pave the way for President Richard M. Nixon’s groundbreaking trip to China the next year, beginning a new era in global politics.
Now, a book being published this week offers a radical reinterpretation of Zhou’s life: He was probably gay.
That assertion is sure to be contentious in China, where homosexuality is not widely accepted and where many may view it as an attack on Zhou’s character. Indeed, the book is expected to be banned in mainland China, as are other unauthorized biographies of Zhou.
Tsoi Wing-Mui, the author of the book, “The Secret Emotional Life of Zhou Enlai,” writes that Zhou’s sexual orientation would explain several mysteries about his life, including his cool treatment of his wife at the time of their marriage and his careful relationship with Mao.
Zhou and his wife, Deng Yingchao, in an undated picture. He treated her coolly in a well-documented incident in 1925. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Ms. Tsoi, a journalist who was the editor of a liberal political magazine in Hong Kong, presents no proof that Zhou was gay. There are no lovers with tell-all stories, only clues from his diary entries and correspondence with his wife.
Ms. Tsoi said she wanted her interpretation to add to the understanding of an important historical figure, giving texture to his personality. “Before writing this book, I really didn’t have a good impression of Zhou Enlai,” she said in an interview. “But afterward, I have a lot of sympathy for him.”
She said one diary entry from when Zhou was a young man provided a clue to his yearnings.>>>>> the rest at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/world/asia/book-says-zhou-enlai-chinese-premier-may-have-been-gay.html?_r=0
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