Remember the NPR interview about the book on a Chinese businessman?

April 30, 2008 12:37 PM

Help me find a book about a Chinese businessman mentioned on NPR for my Dad!

My Dad says he was listening to NPR a few months ago and he heard an interview with a Western author about his nonfiction book. The book was about (paraphrasing, could be wrong) a Chinese businessman who imported automobiles, got too rich for the government's liking, and fled in a rowboat.

Any ideas? I have tried googling and looking on the NPR website and I am not coming up with any good results.

I am looking for the name of the author, name of the book, or anything that helps me be able to buy it!

posted by rmless to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

Best answer: Inside the Red Mansion: On the Trail of China's Most Wanted Man (here) by Oliver August may be of interest. I don't recall anything about a rowboat though and the money was made from a variety of 'creative' business dealings.
from wiki

In 1999, the largest corruption scandal in China's history was uncovered, implicating up to 200 government officials. Lai Changxing is alleged to have run an enormous smuggling operation, which financed the city's football team, film studios, largest construction project, and a vast brothel rented to him by the local Public Security Bureau. According to Time (magazine), "locals used to joke that Xiamen should change its name to Yuanhua, the name of Lai's company." They subsequently claimed that potential
investors were discouraged by the taint of corruption.

At any rate it's a fascinating read.
posted by dawson at 1:20 PM on April 30, 2008

Response by poster: Awesome, thanks! I think that must be it.
If there are other books like this, I'd be interested in those, too!
posted by rmless at 1:34 PM on April 30, 2008

I hope that's the one, anyway, it's a good read. I realize you are asking everyone, but by other books like this do you mean relating to business? Because if not, I could recommend some more. Like Peter Hessler. But mostly I've read the fiction.Another excellent non-fiction writer is Xinran . If I were literary dictator of America her stuff would be required reading.
posted by dawson at 5:58 PM on April 30, 2008