Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes

In Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes, historian James Palmer explores the pivotal events of 1976 in China, a year marked by the catastrophic earthquake in Tangshan that claimed over half a million lives amid an atmosphere of social unrest. As Mao Zedong faced his final days and the nation mourned premier Zhou Enlai, the government's inadequate response to the disaster intensified public discontent with the Communist Party. This gripping narrative unveils the intertwining of personal loss and political upheaval, ultimately heralding the dawn of a new era in Chinese history.