The seeds for this study were germinated when I was researching for my thesis at the University of California, Davis. I thank my professors at Davis, including Gary Hamilton (now at the University of Washington), K.C.Liu and Susan Mann. Although I have changed drastically many of the arguments I made years ago as an immature researcher, the seminars that I attended and the materials I read under their guidance have nevertheless helped to shape the framework of my book.
I have, in addition, benefited from others’ insights and/or moral support. Tze-ki Hon and Chiu-chun Lee always showed their sincere concern for my progress. Po-shek Fu was so generous as to offer to help in the revision process of this manuscript. Xiong Yuezhi and his family shared with me their intimate knowledge of the 1950s. Their help is deeply appreciated. I must also thank a veteran revolutionary, who chose to remain anonymous, for drawing upon personal experiences to discuss with me revolutionaries’ emotional make-up. Vera Schwarcz and Edward Friedman kindly read my entire dissertation, which can be regarded as the earliest version of the manuscript. Not only did I learn from their suggestions and criticisms, but I also felt encouraged by their kind words. I should express my deep gratitude to Arif Dirlik, who agreed to serve on my committee, pressed me to reshape the first half of the dissertation, and probably read the dissertation more than once. I also wish to acknowledge the help of Richard Gunde. To a certain degree, this book bears the imprint of his superb editing. As the editor of Modern China, he edited a couple of my articles, which, upon further revision, are now parts of this book. I would like to take this opportunity to tell him how much I learned from him, and how grateful I have been for the kindness he showed to a graduate student who unsurely and timidly submitted to him her articles.