Louisa Lim

Chinese President Jiang Zemin sings a selection from "Beijing Opera" on the last day of an eight-day visit to the U.S. on Nov. 2, 1997, in Los Angeles.

China's ex-leader Jiang Zemin, an influential reformer, has died at 96

Jiang Zemin rose to power in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests and leaves a legacy of economic reforms — but also tight political control.

Daryl James was just 15-years-old when he arrived at the Army Apprentice School in the 1970s. He says he was repeatedly abused, as were many others. Now he returns every year just to confirm that the school is still gone. "The ghosts have gone now, " he told NPR.

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In Australia, Decades Of Abuse Against Military Recruits Comes To Light

Louisa Lim

A commission is investigating complaints by military academy students who say systematic sexual abuse was inflicted on new recruits dating back to the 1970s.

Civilians hold rocks as they stand on a government armored vehicle near Chang'an Boulevard in Beijing, early June 4, 1989, before the army began a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Tiananmen Square.

June 4: The Day That Defines, And Still Haunts China

Louisa Lim

Suppressing its own people with tanks and guns 25 years ago was a pivotal act of modern China. Beijing hoped economic prosperity would make people forget. But the legacy of Tiananmen remains potent.

The world media captured the 1989 protests and crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. But across China, similar protests were taking place. Students in the southwest city of Chengdu began their own hunger strike in Tianfu Square several days after their Beijing counterparts. The photographer of this image — and several below — asked not to be identified because of current ties with China.

After 25 Years Of Amnesia, Remembering A Forgotten Tiananmen

Louisa Lim

The bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing changed China, NPR's Louisa Lim explains in a new book. She also chronicles the brutal repression that took place in another city — and remained hidden until now.

The children of wealthy Chinese attend classes designed to teach them how to do things like raise money for charity. The parents pay up to $10,000 a year to send their kids to weekend classes.

Children Of China's Wealthy Learn Expensive Lessons

Louisa Lim

Some super-rich Chinese are sending their kids to weekend classes in order to learn how to deal with money. The lessons include things like a charity sale designed to teach the children compassion, sharing and the value of money.

Far from seeing military rallies, recent visitors to Pyongyang saw North Korean children in-line skating around Kim Il Sung square.

Inside North Korea, No Obvious Signs Of Crisis

Louisa Lim

The international community is bracing for further provocative actions in North Korea's campaign of bluster and escalation. But visitors to the reclusive country say the capital Pyongyang does not appear to be on war footing.

Former civil servant Wang Xiaofang is the author of 13 books on "bureaucracy literature," including <em>The Civil Servant's Notebook</em>, which recently was translated into English.

Become A Successful Chinese Bureaucrat, In 5 Easy Steps

Louisa Lim

Tales of Machiavellian office politics are all the rage in China, where "bureaucracy lit" is flying off bookstore shelves. The books are read as both entertainment and as how-to guides for aspiring civil servants. Pioneers of the genre offer a path to success in China's corridors of power.

North Korea Launches Long-Range Rocket

Louisa Lim

Defying international warnings, North Korea successfully fired a long-range rocket on Wednesday. The launch was something of a surprise because Pyongyang had indicated technical problems might delay it.

N. Korea Fires Long-Range Rocket

Robert Siegel, Louisa Lim

North Korea appears to have taken a step forward in its long-range missile program. The country has fired a long-range rocket in spite of warnings from the U.S. and the United Nations.

Chinese villagers welcome the arrival of tractors purchased by a farmers' cooperative in April 1958, during the Great Leap Forward campaign. The disastrous modernization program ended in China's great famine and tens of millions of deaths.

A Grim Chronicle Of China's Great Famine

Louisa Lim

For 10 years, journalist Yang Jinsheng secretly collected official evidence about the terrible famine in China a half-century ago. In his chilling book Tombstone — which is banned in his homeland — Yang estimates that 36 million people died of starvation and other causes during the famine, even as grain exports continued.