KongDanwasborninaCommunistfamily.HewasamongthefirstbatchoftheeducatedurbanyouthinChinawhobecamemembersoftheCommunistparty.HewasastudentleaderatNo.4HighSchoolinBeijing,commandingtheXichengDistrictPicketCorpstomaintainsocialorderinthe1960s,whentheCulturalRevolutioninitiatedbyChairmanMaoZedongresultedinmassivechaosinthesociety.
HewaslaterputinprisonbecauseofhisparticipationinthePicketCorpsandhisparentswerealsobeingpersecuted.Hehadbeensenttothecountrysidetojointheproductionteamfor“re-education”.HebuilthisknowledgefoundationbyhishardworkandearnedaMasterdegreeintheeconomicsdiscipline.
Hehadbeenthesecretaryofgovernmentofficials,andseniormanagementpersonneloftwostate-ownedenterprises,theEverbrightGroupandtheCITICGroup,withinwhichhedevotedhistalenttohelptacklevariousproblems.
ThroughpersonalinterviewswithKongDan,MiHeducompiledthebiographyofthislegendaryfigureinthemodernChinesehistory,depictinghowhewentthroughtheupsanddownsin60years.HisexperiencecanberegardedasareflectionofthehistoricaldevelopmentandpoliticalreforminChinabackintheMaoZedongregime.
