Long Peace Street A Walk in Modern China

Recounting a walk of twenty miles across Beijing, Long Peace Street takes the reader on a journey through the city’s recent history, explaining how the present and future of the world’s rising superpower has been shaped by its tumultuous past, from the demise of the last imperial dynasty in 1912 through to the present day.

‘Even the most dedicated flâneur has to work hard to find the charm in Chang’an Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the “glorious mess of Beijing”. But Chatwin walks the walk and, along the way, dissects the street, its denizens and its enduring role in China’s history and collective modern traumas.’
Paul French, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Peking

‘Chatwin offers a distinctive window into Beijing’s past and present…an appealing mix of anecdotes from a journey and digressions backward in time make Long Peace Street a novel addition to the rich literature on China’s sprawling capital.’
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, co-author of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know

‘This three-dimensional, moving timeline along the heart of imperial and contemporary Beijing made me want to head out the door and follow Chatwin’s flâneur footsteps. I couldn’t put it down.’
Michael Meyer, author of The Last Days of Old Beijing

Through the centre of China’s historic capital, Long Peace Street cuts a long, arrow-straight line. It divides the Forbidden City, home to generations of Chinese emperors, from Tiananmen Square, the vast granite square constructed to glorify a New China under Communist rule. To walk the street is to travel through the story of China’s recent past, wandering among its physical relics and hearing echoes of its dramas.

Long Peace Street recounts a journey in modern China, a walk of twenty miles across Beijing offering a very personal encounter with the life of the capital’s streets. At the same time, it takes the reader on a journey through the city’s recent history, telling the story of how the present and future of the world’s rising superpower has been shaped by its tumultuous past, from the demise of the last imperial dynasty in 1912 through to the present day.

Through the centre of China’s historic capital, Long Peace Street cuts a long, arrow-straight line. It divides the Forbidden City, home to generations of Chinese emperors, from Tiananmen Square, the vast granite square constructed to glorify a New China under Communist rule. To walk the street is to travel through the story of China’s recent past, wandering among its physical relics and hearing echoes of its dramas.

Long Peace Street recounts a journey in modern China, a walk of twenty miles across Beijing offering a very personal encounter with the life of the capital’s streets. At the same time, it takes the reader on a journey through the city’s recent history, telling the story of how the present and future of the world’s rising superpower has been shaped by its tumultuous past, from the demise of the last imperial dynasty in 1912 through to the present day.