The rise of China and the fall of Hong Kong to authoritarian rule are told with unique insight in this new history by Michael Sheridan, drawing on eyewitness reporting over three decades, interviews with key figures and documents from archives in China and the West. The Chinese side of history, so often unheard, emerges from memoirs and documents, revealing how the party’s iron will and negotiating tactics crushed its opponents. Yet the voices of Hong Kong people speak out here for ideals that refuse to die. Sheridan’s book tells how Hong Kong opened the way for the People’s Republic as it reformed its economy and changed the world, emerging to challenge the West with a new order that raises fundamental questions about progress, identity and freedom. It is critical reading for all who study, trade or deal with China.