Eyes and Ears
-
Select format
-
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- 05 February 2026
- 19 February 2026
- ISBN:
- 9781009604420
- 9781009604413
- 9781009604383
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.554kg, 268 Pages
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.399kg, 268 Pages
You may already have access via personal or institutional login
Show more authors 
You may already have access via personal or institutional login
Book description
This essential primary-source reader brings together documents collected over decades of research into security agency tradecraft and Chinese Cold War-era human intelligence. Michael Schoenhals' expert translation of the texts teases out meanings from memoranda, decodes marginal notes from senior officers, and unpacks the hastily scribbled communications of covert human assets. Together, these sources trace the resilience of covert human intelligence as an institution, even when faced with revelations of major misconduct and calls for its reform. With editorial introductions providing valuable context, this collection offers an informed interpretation of the domestic recruitment and running of agents that sheds critical new light on Chinese security agencies' intelligence gathering operations and capacity building during the Cold War.
Reviews
‘This is a unique collection of first-hand documents from the clandestine inner workings of the Chinese secret police and their network of informers. Skilfully introduced, Michael Schoenhals takes us into the abysses and banalities of communist persecution under Mao. The underbelly of Stalinist civilisation – Chinese style. Anyone interested in secret police and their informers will find a wealth of comparative material in this collection.'
Jens Gieseke - Leibniz-Centre for Contemporary History
‘Eyes and Ears draws on discarded documents to describe how the state recruited people to spy on their neighbors in Cold War China. Everyday surveillance is by turns humdrum, tedious, chilling, and occasionally hilarious. Schoenhals illuminates China's particularities without ever letting us forget that these practices are common to all modern states.'
Gail Hershatter - University of California, Santa Cruz
‘This volume makes an indispensable contribution to a much neglected area of study. No serious student of Cold War China can afford to overlook it.'
R. Gerald Hughes - Aberystwyth University
‘Eyes and Ears, with its captivating stories and informative commentaries, will be valuable for scholars of intelligence who wish to learn more about the Chinese case but do not read Chinese. It would also serve well in courses on the global or comparative history of intelligence services, the history of policing or the social history of the Cold War.’
Yingchuan Yang Source: China Quarterly
Contents
Contents
Metrics
Altmetric attention score
Full text views
Full text views helpTotal number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...
* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
Usage data cannot currently be displayed.
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.
Accessibility Information
The HTML of this book complies with version 2.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), covering newer accessibility requirements and improved user experiences and achieves the intermediate (AA) level of WCAG compliance, covering a wider range of accessibility requirements.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order and Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.