This compelling book provides a meticulously documented account of officially
sanctioned cannibalism in the southwestern province of Guangxi during the Cul-
tural Revolution. Drawing on his unique access to local archives of the Chinese
Communist Party and on extensive interviews with Party officials, the victims'
relatives, and the murderers themselves, Zheng Yi paints a disturbing picture of
official compliance in the systematic killing and cannibalization of individuals in
the name of political revolution and "class struggle."

The treasure-trove of evidence Zheng Yi has unearthed offers unprecedented in-
sights into the way the internecine, factional struggles of the Cultural Revolution
reached a horrifying level of insanity and frenzy among the ethnic Zhuang people
of Guangxi. Profoundly moving acutely observed, and unflinchingly graphic,
Scarlet Memorial is a shining example of a genre of investigative reporting that
courageously and independently records obscure and officially censured historical
events, revealing hidden dimensions of modern Chinese history and politics.

Zheng Yi (which means "justice") is one of China's foremost novelists and jour-
nalists. His works include Old Well (Jaojing), which was later made into an ac-
claimed film. A leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, he spent over three
years as a fugitive from the Chinese government before escaping to Hong Kong.
He now lives with his wife, Bei Ming, in the United States.

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