Diaries bear witness to momentous era of Chinese history

Few writers lived a life like Xiao Jun (1907-1988) in tumultuous China in the past century. From the war with Japan to the Cultural Revolution, and from Chairman Mao Zedong to ill-fated novelist Xiao Hong, Xiao Jun had first-person experiences of them all. And he recorded it all in voluminous diaries. Now, for the first time, those diaries have been published in their entirety, documenting the inner world of a renowned writer living through decades of war and revolution. Danny Xiao, editor of the diaries, tells about the value of his grandfather's private notes.

As his eldest grandson, I was very close to grandfather during my first 22 years. We in the family knew he had kept a large set of diaries. With his sons and daughters - my uncles and aunts - getting old, we put our heads together to sort out handwritten notes of some two million Chinese characters and put them into print. We believe this is a genuine account by an eyewitness who personally encountered major personalities and events of 20th-century China. This is different from a memoir which is written years after the fact, and is subject to hearsay or distorted impressions. These diaries contain the day-to-day accounts as things happened.

The copyright belongs to the entire family, and it was not easy to reach a consensus at first. Some, especially those who still lived in China, were concerned the contents could cause trouble. But once we agreed to go ahead, the project unified the family. It was very moving to see my elderly relatives working day and night over the tiny words the old man left behind. But the biggest hurdle was an emotional one: we made public something that was not meant to be. Grandfather intended to burn his notes. "My diaries are for no one, not even my wife," he testified during the Cultural Revolution when the diaries were seized and exposed. With a heavy heart, I put the printed copies on my grandfather's tomb and begged for his understanding. At that moment came a breeze that rattled the pine trees, causing a chorus of leaves. I took that as his consent.

The response to the two volumes of Yanan Diaries 1940-1945 exceeded our expectations and Oxford University Press had to roll extra editions shortly after the first print run. I think the success lies in the many famous political characters mentioned in the diaries, including Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhang Wentian, Peng Zhen, etc. His numerous late-night conversations with Mao were especially valuable.