In Shanghai in the 1920s, Mao Zedong's associate Zhou Enlai founded the first communist spy network, operating against the Nationalists, Western powers and the Japanese. Chinese intelligence was global from the very beginning. This book is based on previously unpublished documents and personal conversations between the author and dozens of intelligence sources around the world. This is a detailed and sensational history of Chinese intelligence over 100 years. The author shows that Chinese spies were and are everywhere: among scientists, journalists, diplomats, students and businessmen. Their footprint is visible everywhere: from Stalin's purges to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan. It seems that the secret agents of the Celestial Empire are omnipotent... Are they as great as the Chinese economy and the ambitions of Xi Jinping? What can you learn from them? Is it dangerous? “Faligo's detailed and fascinating account of Chinese espionage over the past century is impressive in its level of detail and makes the case that China's security and intelligence community is today the largest in the world.” - The Sunday Times "Faligo, an intrepid French explorer, spent 40 years compiling his private spy archive... His book is a veritable encyclopedia of Chinese secrets... juicy enough to keep readers awake at night." — The Times