New Deng biography reveals intra-Party confrontations

A man reads a book near posters for a newly issued biography about late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping at a bookstore in Beijing on the 110th anniversary of his birth, on August 22, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

Private life

The biography also sheds light on Deng's private life including his relationship with his family as a teenager, his three marriages and his family life during the Cultural Revolution.

"We want to show Deng's deeds as a great leader of China, but at the same time as an ordinary man as well," Yang said.

The book details the late statesman's studying in France and the Soviet Union, his relish for French wines, cheese, coffee and croissants as well as Sichuan cuisine, his passion for swimming, football and bridge, and his love for his children and grandchildren.

One chapter is based on Deng's life during his three years' working in a tractor repair factory in Xinjian county of East China's Jiangxi province from 1969 to 1972.

"He did all the housework, for his wife was not in good health; he ate stale rice in order to save money, and he ached to see his children come home during New Year celebrations and festivals," according to Yang.

"Those little details of his life will bridge the emotional gap between the readers and Deng Xiaoping," he said.