Chasing the Dragon: A Veteran Journalist's Firsthand Account of the 1946-9 Chinese Revolution

In late 1949, hard on the heels of the USSR’s first atomic bomb test and Eastern Europe’s rechristening as the Soviet Bloc, China—the world’s most populous nation—finally succumbed to the alarming tide of Communist successes. Dumbfounded, America wanted to know, “Who lost China?”

Roy Rowan is one of only two living American journalists who covered the fall of China to the Communists, and in Chasing the Dragon, he recounts his personal experiences during one of modern history’s most tumultuous and significant events. Writing for Life magazine, he watched the horror of the world’s oldest continuous civilization tear itself apart as Chairman Mao Zedong’s ragtag army choked off major cities and waited for them to “fall like ripe melons.” Through Rowan’s interviews and eyewitness accounts we meet a whole host of colorful characters. Chasing the Dragon is a fascinating firsthand account of the earth-shattering events that still continue to shape our world.