Deng Xiaoping Centenary, an oral biography on the life of the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, has been published by Beijing's New World Press. The book was officially released on Friday, two days ahead of the August 22 centenary of Deng's birth.

The book was compiled by the Party Literature Research Center of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China Central Television (CCTV), which produced a documentary on the same theme.

The text is based on the scripts from the documentary, but also includes interviews with about 100 additional people who are familiar with Deng and many historical photos.

The interviews provide vivid accounts of Deng's charismatic personality. Some of the photos are being published for the first time.

The six-part book depicts Deng as a great statesman as well as an ordinary person with ordinary emotions and interests. It describes his love for his family, the people and the country and his friendships with some of the great personages of the period, such as Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi. It emphasizes Deng's perseverance in promoting reform and national reunification from the late 1970s.
 
"The book tells readers true and intriguing stories of Comrade Deng Xiaoping's important experiences, thoughts and decisions in the words of the witnesses to trace his life in an objective manner. It will help readers better understand Deng Xiaoping Theory. The fresh historical materials in the book make it a precious collector's item as well as an excellent textbook," said Zhou Mingwei, vice president of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), the parent company of New World Press.

The book is now available only in Chinese but copyright negotiations are under way for publication in several foreign languages.

(China.org.cn by Chen Chao, August 20, 2004)