Yang Jisheng (journalist)

Yang Jisheng (Chinese: 杨继绳; pinyin: Yáng Jìshéng; born November 4, 1940) is a Chinese journalist and author known for his in-depth reporting and analysis of Chinese politics and history, particularly the Great Chinese Famine (1958-1962).

Yang worked for the Xinhua News Agency for decades, allowing him access to archives and information often unavailable to other researchers. After his retirement from Xinhua in 2001, he was able to dedicate himself fully to his historical research and writing.

His most notable work is Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962 (墓碑), published in 2008 in Hong Kong (due to censorship restrictions in mainland China). This meticulously researched book documents the causes and devastating consequences of the famine, challenging official narratives and revealing the culpability of the Communist Party's policies, particularly the Great Leap Forward. Tombstone draws upon extensive interviews with survivors, local officials, and secret government documents to estimate that 36 million people died of starvation and related causes during the famine.

Yang's work has been praised for its historical rigor, courage, and contribution to understanding a pivotal and often suppressed period in Chinese history. However, he and his work have also faced censorship and criticism from some within the Chinese government.

In addition to Tombstone, Yang has written extensively on other topics, including the Chinese Communist Party, corruption, and economic reform. He is considered a leading independent scholar and commentator on contemporary China. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Louis Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism from Harvard University in 2012.