Li Rui's Diary Detailing Tiananmen Protests: Stanford University Recognized as Owner, Overturning Chinese Court Ruling

U.S. Court Validates Daughter's Donation

Chinese Order for Return Has No Effect in the U.S.

Includes Accounts of the Tiananmen Protests

Key Primary Source for the Study of Modern Chinese History

Stanford University in the United States has won a lawsuit over the ownership of the diary of Li Rui, a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party and secretary to former President Mao Zedong. With this ruling, the materials can now be freely researched within the United States.

On April 2, Yonhap News reported, citing the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and BBC, that Judge Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on March 31 that the act of Li Rui’s daughter, Li Nanyang, donating her father’s diary to Stanford University’s Hoover Institution was “legal and in accordance with the wishes of the deceased.”

Diary of Li Rui, senior member of the Chinese Communist Party and secretary to former State Chairman Mao Zedong - The Wall Street Journal

Li Rui, who was born in 1918 and passed away in 2019 at the age of 101, kept a diary recording major events of the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 to 2018. Of particular historical importance is the extensive diary he wrote from 1938 until just before his death, as it includes a wide range of materials such as letters, meeting minutes, work memos, and photographs, making it a vital primary source for the study of modern Chinese history. It is especially significant because it contains first-hand accounts of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which Li Rui personally witnessed and recorded. He referred to these events as the “Black Weekend.”

Li Rui served as Mao Zedong’s secretary in the 1950s, but after criticizing the leadership at the 1959 Lushan Conference, he was purged and imprisoned. Nevertheless, he continued to be an influential figure within the Communist Party and maintained a critical stance toward China’s leadership, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. His writings were censored and banned from sale within China.

In his later years, Li Rui became concerned that his diaries might be damaged or destroyed by the Chinese authorities after his death. As a result, beginning in 2014, he started donating his diaries to Stanford University through his daughter, Li Nanyang. Additional records written shortly before his death were also delivered to the university. However, after his passing, his second wife, Zhang Yuzhen, who resides in Beijing, claimed ownership of the diaries and filed a lawsuit for their return. The Chinese court ruled in favor of Zhang Yuzhen. In response, Stanford University refused to comply with the ruling and filed a separate lawsuit in a U.S. court in 2024.

The U.S. court determined that the Chinese court’s order for the return of the diaries could not be enforced within the United States and recognized the validity of Li Rui’s donation during his lifetime. The U.S. court also noted the possibility that the legal proceedings in China may have been conducted regardless of the true intentions of the parties involved. Condoleezza Rice, director of the Hoover Institution and former U.S. Secretary of State, welcomed the ruling, stating that “one of the most important primary sources of modern Chinese history can now be studied freely.”

Meanwhile, the lawsuit has sparked controversy over its political background. Perry Link, former Stanford University professor who participated in the trial as an expert witness, suggested that there may have been attempts to secure or control the diary, as it contains content that conflicts with the official history of the Communist Party. He also raised the possibility that the Chinese Communist Party was involved in the lawsuit, given that Zhang Yuzhen, who is elderly, would have found it difficult to bear the significant litigation costs on her own. On the other hand, Stanford University has consistently emphasized that the diary was donated in accordance with the unequivocal wishes of the deceased, not stolen. With this ruling, Li Rui’s diary is expected to be utilized more freely by academia in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.