The world was watching when footage of the "tank man" -- the lone Chinese citizen blocking the passage of a column of tanks during the brutal 1989 crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square -- first appeared in the media. The furtive video is now regarded as an iconic depiction of a government's violence against its own people. Throughout the twentieth century, states across East Asia committed many relatively undocumented atrocities, with victims numbering in the millions. The contributors to this insightful volume analyze many of the most notorious cases, including the Japanese army's Okinawan killings in 1945, Indonesia's anticommunist purge in 1965--1968, Thailand's Red Drum incinerations in 1972--1975, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge massacre in 1975--1978, Korea's Kwangju crackdown in 1980, the Philippines' Mendiola incident in 1987, Myanmar's suppression of the democratic movement in 1988, and China's Tiananmen incident. With in-depth investigation of events that have long been misunderstood or kept hidden from public scrutiny, State Violence in East Asia provides critical insights into the political and cultural dynamics of state-sanctioned violence and discusses ways to prevent it in the future.

The Beijing Olympics ensured that the world would be watching China in 2008, and the year turned out to be the most tumultuous and traumatic for the Chinese since the massive Tiananmen uprising of 1989. Crippling winter storms, riots in Tibet, the devastating Sichuan earthquake, and many other dramatic events including the PRC edging out the United States to become the country with the most Internet users grabbed international headlines. This innovative book, based on postings from the China Beat (the noted group blog/electronic magazine based at the University of California, Irvine) as well as works from other leading publications and completely new material, showcases the as-it-happened reports and commentaries of a mix of distinguished academics, high-profile journalists, and freelance writers, and up-and-coming young China specialists. China in 2008 takes the unique approach of bringing the timeliness of the blogosphere into book form, expanding and reflecting thoughtfully on stories in the news while retaining the eclectic, opinionated, and engaging feel of the China Beat. It will be invaluable reading for everyone with a keen interest in China today. Contributions by: Pallavi Aiyar, David Bandurski, Geremie R. Barme, Nicole Barnes, Daniel Beekman, Susan Brownell, Par Cassel, Leslie T. Chang, Yong Chen, Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, Xujun Eberlein, Kathryn Edgerton-Tarpley, Mary S. Erbaugh, James Farrer, Caroline Finlay, Howard W. French, Pierre Fuller, Anna Greenspan, Amy Hanser, Peter Hessler, Jeremiah Jenne, Paul R. Katz, Miri Kim, Richard Kraus, Haiyan Lee, Donald S. Lopez Jr., David Luesink, Liang Luo, Charlene E. Makley, Kate Merkel-Hess, Stephen Mihm, James Miles, Pankaj Mishra, Rana Mitter, Julia K. Murray, Timothy S. Oakes, Alex Pasternack, Kenneth L. Pomeranz, David Porter, Shakhar Rahav, Benjamin L. Read, Caroline Reeves, Eric Setzekorn, Angilee Shah, Xia Shi, Steve Smith, Donald S. Sutton, Paola Voci, Nicolai Volland, Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, Timothy B. Weston, Guobin Yang, and Lijia Zhang."

The Beijing Olympics ensured that the world would be watching China in 2008, and the year turned out to be the most tumultuous and traumatic for the Chinese since the massive Tiananmen uprising of 1989. Crippling winter storms, riots in Tibet, the devastating Sichuan earthquake, and many other dramatic events including the PRC edging out the United States to become the country with the most Internet users grabbed international headlines. This innovative book, based on postings from the China Beat (the noted group blog/electronic magazine based at the University of California, Irvine) as well as works from other leading publications and completely new material, showcases the as-it-happened reports and commentaries of a mix of distinguished academics, high-profile journalists, and freelance writers, and up-and-coming young China specialists. China in 2008 takes the unique approach of bringing the timeliness of the blogosphere into book form, expanding and reflecting thoughtfully on stories in the news while retaining the eclectic, opinionated, and engaging feel of the China Beat. It will be invaluable reading for everyone with a keen interest in China today. Contributions by: Pallavi Aiyar, David Bandurski, Geremie R. Barme, Nicole Barnes, Daniel Beekman, Susan Brownell, Par Cassel, Leslie T. Chang, Yong Chen, Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, Xujun Eberlein, Kathryn Edgerton-Tarpley, Mary S. Erbaugh, James Farrer, Caroline Finlay, Howard W. French, Pierre Fuller, Anna Greenspan, Amy Hanser, Peter Hessler, Jeremiah Jenne, Paul R. Katz, Miri Kim, Richard Kraus, Haiyan Lee, Donald S. Lopez Jr., David Luesink, Liang Luo, Charlene E. Makley, Kate Merkel-Hess, Stephen Mihm, James Miles, Pankaj Mishra, Rana Mitter, Julia K. Murray, Timothy S. Oakes, Alex Pasternack, Kenneth L. Pomeranz, David Porter, Shakhar Rahav, Benjamin L. Read, Caroline Reeves, Eric Setzekorn, Angilee Shah, Xia Shi, Steve Smith, Donald S. Sutton, Paola Voci, Nicolai Volland, Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, Timothy B. Weston, Guobin Yang, and Lijia Zhang."