When New York Times correspondent Edward Wong arrived in Beijing in 2008, he had a hopeful view of a coming Chinese century. Nearly sixty years earlier, his father held a similarly optimistic vision - and joined the People's Liberation Army to further Mao's revolution. But both men were forced to confront the hard realities of Communist Party rule. Drawing on family interviews and his reporting, Edward Wong unveils the continuous inner history of China under Xi Jinping and Mao. But the parallel journeys of father and son also illustrate startling shifts over the decades. With beautiful writing, sweeping narrative, and news-breaking insight into contemporary China, At the Edge of Empire is required reading for anyone looking to understand global politics in the 21st century. Edward Wong takes the reader straight into the heart of the Hong Kong protests, the upheavals in Xinjiang and the halls of power in Beijing and Washington.