Desmond Shum

A unique and incendiary memoir from an entrepreneur who rose to the highest realms of power and money in China and whose wife was disappeared, Red Roulette reveals the truth of what is happening inside the country’s wealth-making machine. After the Communist Revolution, Desmond Shum’s grandfather was marked as belonging to a “black category” that included former landlords and rich peasants—meaning the Shums would be stigmatized and impoverished. As Desmond was growing up, he vowed his life would be different. Through hard work and sheer tenacity Shum earned an American college degree and returned to China to establish himself in business. There, he met his future wife, the highly intelligent and equally ambitious Whitney Duan who was determined to make her mark within China’s male-dominated society. Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and, aided by relationships they formed with top members of the red aristocracy, vaulted into China’s billionaire class. Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport, and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels. They were dazzlingly successful, traveling in private jets, funding multi-million-dollar buildings and endowments, and purchasing expensive homes, vehicles, and art. But in 2017, their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond, while residing overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers. This is both Desmond’s story and Whitney’s, because she cannot tell it herself.

An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China

Red Roulette

“THE BOOK CHINA DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ.”—CNN​ A riveting insider's story of how the Party and big money work in China today, by a man who, with his wife, Whitney Duan, rose to the zenith of power and wealth—and then fell out of favor. She was disappeared four years ago. News of this book led to a phone call from Whitney, proof that she's alive. As Desmond Shum was growing up impoverished in China, he vowed his life would be different. Through hard work and sheer tenacity he earned an American college degree and returned to his native country to establish himself in business. There, he met his future wife, the highly intelligent and equally ambitious Whitney Duan who was determined to make her mark within China’s male-dominated society. Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and, aided by relationships they formed with top members of China’s Communist Party, the so-called red aristocracy, he vaulted into China’s billionaire class. Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport, and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels. They were dazzlingly successful, traveling in private jets, funding multi-million-dollar buildings and endowments, and purchasing expensive homes, vehicles, and art. But in 2017, their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond, while residing overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers. This is both Desmond’s story and Whitney’s, because she has not been able to tell it herself.

Das Buch, von dem die chinesische Regierung nicht will, dass wir es lesen: Money, Macht und Willkür in China Wann ist man wirklich mächtig? Wenn auf dem Konto eine Milliarde liegt? Wenn die Ehefrau mit der Frau des Premiers beim Shoppen große Geschäfte macht? Desmond Shum wächst in Shanghai und Hongkong auf. Nach dem Studium in den USA stürzt er sich ins Beijinger Businessleben mit dem Blickwinkel eines Outsiders und den richtigen Connections. Er scheffelt mit Immobilientransaktionen Geld. Ehefrau Whitney pflegt Beziehungen zu Ehefrauen wichtiger politischer Akteure. Und doch sind Desmond Shum die Hände gebunden, als Whitney, Multimilliardärin wie er, spurlos verschwindet. Wem aber konnte Whitney Duan gefährlich werden? Was wusste sie über Staatspräsident Xi Jinping - oder was außer Ärger mit der Staatsführung könnte hinter ihrem plötzlichen Verschwinden sonst stecken? Ein brisanter Augenzeugenbericht aus der neureichen Wirtschaftselite Chinas: Die Hintergründe der "Explosion" des chinesischen Kapitalismus in den 2000er Jahren, erzählt von einem, der mit verstrickt war und mitverdient hat. Selten hat es jemand gewagt, so offen über das zu schreiben, was in China Macht bedeutet. Ein aufsehenerregender Blick auf die chinesische Elite, exzessive Bereicherung und den Widerstreit von Kapitalismus und kommunistischer Partei. »Shum deckt die Machenschaften der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas auf und die der Milliardäre, die sie hervorgebracht hat.« Barbara Demick

Desmond Shum

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