Bombard the Headquarters!: China’s Cultural Revolution
2025
A riveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history.
Linda Jaivin is one of Australia’s best and most versatile writers.
Bombard the Headquarters!
The Cultural Revolution in China
A riveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history.
Australian edition
UK edition
Linda Jaivin is an internationally published Australian author, cultural commentator,essayist and translator. She is the author of thirteen books – seven novels and sixworks of non-fiction including her latest, Bombard the Headquarters! China’s CulturalRevolution and The Shortest History of China, which has been translated into nearlytwo dozen languages. She lives in Sydney on the unceded land of the Gadigalpeople of the Eora nation.
Photo by Anna Ha 
THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF CHINA (2021)
Number 1 on Five Books Best China Books of 2021.
It’s no mean feat to cover the entire history of China in fifteen chapters, but Linda Jaivin manages it with panache.
PODCAST
China: The First Emperor
With contributions from Frances Wood, author of The First Emperor; Steve Tsang, The Political Thought of Xi Jinping; Amanda Hsiao, senior China analyst for the Crisis Group; Nathan Law, exiled activist, Hong Kong Umbrella Movement; Chris Buckley, Chief China correspondent of the New York Times now based in Taiwan; plus Paul French, Linda Jaivin, Tania Branigan and Ian Johnson, author of Sparks.
Presenter Misha Glenny is the author of McMafia and a former Central Europe correspondent for the BBC. The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.
Upcoming Events
17 July
Brisbane: Linda Jaivin - Bombard the Headquarters!
Thursday 17 July 2025 at 6:00 pm AEST
Avid Reader Bookshop Brisbane
Tickets from $15.00 / Book and ticket deal $30.00
Linda Jaivin discusses her new book Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China at Avid Reader Bookshop in West End, Brisbane.
20 July
Willoughby: Linda Jaivin - Bombard the Headquarters!
Sunday 20 July 2025 at 2:00 pm AEST
Chatswood Library
Free
China expert Linda Jaivin presents "Bombard the Headquarters!", a gripping account of the Cultural Revolution and its lasting impact.
Linda Jaivin in conversation with Michael Pembroke
Sunday 20 July 2025 at 3:30 pm AEST
Chatswood Library
Free
Linda Jaivin and Michael Pembroke discuss how relations with the outside world have changed China, from ancient to modern times.
17 October
18-19 October: Headland Writers Festival
Saturday 18 October 2025 at 9:00 am AEDT
Headland Writers Festival
Sold Out
Authors announced: Sofie Laguna, Kim Mahood, Omar Musa, Linda Jaivin, Luke Horton, Samah Sabawi, Quentin Sprague, Jade Timms & Jess Hamilton. More to be announced soon!
Some Of My Books
Beijing
2014
Beijing introduces you to the lively history of the capital of China, one full of grandeur and spectacle as well as sieges, massacres, and rebellions.
The Empress Lover
2014
A witty and playful mystery set in contemporary Beijing, The Empress Lover is Linda Jaivin’s seventh novel and her most accomplished.
Found in Translation: In Praise of a Plural World
2013
Found in Translation: In praise of a plural world is a free-ranging essay, personal and informed, about translation in its narrowest and broadest senses, and the prism – occasionally prison – of culture.
The Infernal Optimist
2006
The Infernal Optimist is a portrait of a part of Australia rarely seen in fiction, and a daring dark comedy about an issue – refugees – that is no laughing matter. It was short-listed for the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal 2007.
The Monkey and the Dragon
2001
The Monkey and the Dragon is a memoir, biography and travel book
Eat Me
1995
An erotic novel that follows the adventures of four young women in Sydney who meet regularly to share stories about their sexual encounters. The novel became an international bestseller and was translated into multiple languages.