Inside the Red Mansion - by Oliver August (Paperback)

About the Book

August stumbles onto the hunt for Chinas most wanted man, Lai Changxing. In this tale of rise and fall, August sets out to find the self-made billionaire, in the hope that if he can understand how Lai reinvented himself, he will also understand the forces transforming modern China.

Book Synopsis

The notorious gangster Lai Changxing started out as an illiterate farmer, but in the tumult of China's burgeoning economy, he seized the opportunity to remake himself as a bandit king. A newly minted billionaire of outsized personality and even greater appetites, he was a living legend who eventually ran afoul of authorities. The journalist Oliver August set out to find the fugitive Lai. On his quest he encountered a highly entertaining series of criminals and oddball entrepreneurs--and acquired unique insight into the paradoxes of modern China. Part crime caper, part travelogue, part trenchant cultural analysis, August's page-turning account captures China's giddy vibe and its darker vulnerabilities.

Review Quotes

This must-read, can't-put-it down tale shows th China only hinted at on the evening news.
Publishers Weekly, Starred

August artfully delays the powerful denouement until the last dozen words. A splendid debut.
Kirkus Reviews, Starred

August comes across as brave, resourceful and determined...He is a careful and thoughtful observer, with an eye for emblematic contradictions...
Los Angeles Times

... roller-coaster ride of a farmer-turned-billionaire gangster, a man variously regarded as Robin Hood, the Chinese Gatsby...
The New York Times