Historical background on the People's Republic of China. : China's recent history has been full of turmoil / Leader Mao Zedong discusses the People's Communes of the Great Leap Forward / Unintended famines and other catastrophes resulted from China's Great Leap Forward / China's Red Guards make their aims and tactics known / China's ethnic minorities suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution / A description of the government crackdown in Tiananmen Square / Muslim Uighurs in China's Xinjiang Province face many forms of discrimination / One way China responds to dissidents is by "disappearing" them

Controversies surrounding the People's Republic of China : Mao's Great Leap Forward "killed 45 million in four years" / China's Great Leap Forward was based on high ideals but had unexpected consequences / The Cultural Revolution continues to cast a dark shadow over China / Chinese leaders learned from both the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution / Ending the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square was necessary / Some Chinese Generals refused to participate in the Tiananmen Square crackdown / Chinese and minority explanations of a Uighur riot vary / The Chinese government's investment in its minority population is appreciated by some minority group members / China treats dissidents poorly / China's human rights record is improving

Personal narratives : Memories of a political prisoner from the years of the Great Leap Forward / A family struggles during the Cultural Revolution / Returning to Tiananmen Square / A Uighur activist recalls a government crackdown