Oliver August Knihy

Lai Changxing's transformation from an illiterate farmer to a notorious gangster and billionaire highlights the complexities of China's rapid economic growth. Journalist Oliver August chronicles his pursuit of the elusive Lai, encountering a colorful array of criminals and unconventional entrepreneurs along the way. This narrative blends elements of crime, travel, and cultural commentary, offering a vivid portrayal of China's exhilarating yet precarious landscape, while revealing deeper insights into the nation's contradictions.

"In recent German history, borders - and their expansion - have been central to the fate of Europe. When the Iron Curtain dissolved ten years ago, the faultline that divided West and East Germany also collapsed. But could the so-called 'anti-fascist protection barrier' (or 'death strip') be erased as easily as a pencil-mark on the map? Curious to find out, Oliver August set off on an 800-mile journey from the Baltic Sea to the Czech border." "In his encounters with former border guards, ex-Stasi members turned insurance salesmen, decollectivized farmers, innkeepers, nudists, car mechanics, engine drivers, foresters, artists and dreamers, the author reveals with a delightful lightness of touch the hopes, fears and regrets of both 'Wessis' and 'Ossis', and listens to the anxieties of those who feel 'colonized' by the West."--Jacket

In China machte 1999 im ägrössten Korruptionsfallä der Geschichte des Landes eine Person von sich reden, die im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchungen von Oliver August steht: Lai Changxing. Oliver August rekonstruiert die Geschichte und folgt Lai schliesslich sogar bis nach Vancouver.

Dzięki nieformalnym kontaktom towarzyskim Oliver August dowiaduje się przypadkiem o trwającym pościgu za najbardziej poszukiwanym człowiekiem Chin, Lai Chanxingiem, niepiśmiennym magnatem, uciekającym przed oskarżeniami o korupcję. August postanawia go odnaleźć w nadziei, że jeśli zdoła zrozumieć, w jaki sposób Lai doszedł do stworzenia swej nowej osobowości, to również lepiej zrozumie siły przekształcające dzisiejsze Chiny.