The remarkable story of Sirin Phathanothai, a childhood in Communist China and insights into Sino-Thai relations

Link to the program recording here.

Sirin Phathanothai was the daughter of a senior advisor to the Thai prime minister, Plaek Phibunsongkhram, during the Cold War era. At the age of eight, she was secretly sent in 1956, together with her 12-year-old brother, to China as a gesture of goodwill to live in the house of Premier Zhou Enlai as his wards.

For 13 years, Sirin experienced a unique and initially privileged upbringing, meeting the top communist leaders, including Mao Zedong and witnessing them at work and play. But in her early teens, she was caught up in the Cultural Revolution and, trapped in China, experienced the most turbulent years of Chairman Mao's rule. Vilified and persecuted by Red Guards, she was forced to denounce her family, going into hiding in the deep countryside. Sirin escaped China to Britain after a private request from Zhou Enlai to Edward Heath in 1970.

Two decades after her arrival in China, she was instrumental in the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China in 1975. Now living between Bangkok, Beijing and Paris, Sirin still plays a role as a cultural bridge between China and Thailand, as outlined in her compelling book “The Dragon’s Pearl” and a multi-part TV documentary.

Join us for this fascinating talk about a crucial period in Chinese history and rare photographs of behind-the-scenes diplomacy and the daily life of China’s leadership.

Speaker: Sirin Phathanothai

Moderator: Gwen Robinson, FCCT past president