Modern China: A Very Short Introduction [Paperback]

Modern China is a fascinating subject in its own right. China, in general, has been one of the most intriguing countries in the world for most of its history. The most populous nation, China is an heir to an ancient civilization that at one point surpassed all the others in the world in terms of cultural and technological achievement. Yet, over the centuries that civilization had fallen behind others and only in recent decades has China started to approach again its erstwhile status of a great power. This raise has been rather gradual, and with many setbacks has taken the better part of the last hundred years. The Modern China is a work in progress, and this very short introduction provides one of the best overviews of this process. The book covers most of the Chinese twentieth century history, and it's noteworthy in that it doesn't see the arrival of the communists in 1949 so much as a clean break from the past as a continuation of the previous attempts at modernization by the Nationalists and their predecessors. The communist rule is also approached more critically, somewhat downplaying the extent of the most egregious years of the Cultural Revolution, and emphasizing the discontinuities within the Communist regime and its policies. In particular, the author argues that some of the economic advances in the recent years can be traced to the set of reforms that started in the late 70s.

One of the strengths of this book is the attention that it pays to the cultural as well as technological and economic advances. Since most people in the West are at least somewhat familiar with some of the most prominent recent Chinese cinematographic achievements, this provides an accessible connection to the cultural trends in China these days.

The weakness of the book is its lack of any deeper exploration of the human rights abuses and the very serious suppression of dissent that has plagued China for the better part of the past hundred years under different regimes. The abuse has been particularly systematic and ruthless under the Communists, and it is the ugly flip side of the breakneck progress that China has been enjoying in the recent decades.

Overall, this is a very informative and accessible book on Modern China that is well suited for the general readership. It is not a dry scholarly work, and it even indulges in imaginative allegories and analyses on an occasion. It is well worth reading for anyone who is interested in what forces have shaped the Modern China.

China is a key player in today's world, and it is important to understand its background. I've tried other sources, and unfortunately gotten lost in a maze of different dynasties that have come and gone in its 3,000+ year history. The good news about "Modern China" is that it doesn't get bogged down in that very old history. Just learning that while the last (Ming) dynasty fell in 1912, and the subsequent government collapsed again less than 40 years later - after involvement in WWI (intent was to get Allies' support for forcing Germany out of China - instead, got Japan forced in), being dominated by Japan for decades, the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45), and the Civil War (1946-49) helps one understand why today's government is quite leery of losing control and possibly repeating some of those tragic happenings. Resentment over being taken advantage of by various nations contributed to the Ming collapse - especially the British wanting a market for opium (banned within China) produced in Bengal, leading to the first Opium War (1839-1942), followed by unfair treaties, the forced introduction of disruptive influences (eg. Christian missionaries) - it's a wonder China got over its xenophobia and effort to be self-sufficient. Then there was the loss of Taiwan to Japan, the brutally put down Boxer Rebellion (U.S. participated), and monstrous reparations imposed ($333 million, over 39 years).

Confucianism is also briefly addressed - more of an ethical system than religion, stressing mutual obligations, hierarchies, self-development (education and improvement), and an ordered society that abhors violence and tends to look down on profit-making.

Deng Xiaoping clearly was a key figure in transforming China after Mao, but "Modern China" fails to explain how he rose to power two years after Mao's death. (Deng had previously been twice purged for opposition to Mao's policies during the Cultural Revolution. I'm assuming his final success was largely because of his political skills being applied to party recognition of China's problems post-Mao. He liked to call his appraoch "Socialism with Chinese characteristics.") Deng reportedly recognized the Cultural Revolution's anti-intellectualism ("Seek truth from facts.") and xenophobia had pushed too far, and Deng steered the nation toward Zhou Enlai's 'Four Modernizations' - agriculture, economy (concentrated power in the hands of managers and technical experts; started with light industry and its limited capital requirements), science and technology, and defense. Economic equality no longer was a goal ("Let some people get rich first." "Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.") and special economic zones were set up to try new approaches while minimizing resistance. Deng's pragmatism ("Socialism and market economy are not incompatible," "We should be concerned about right-wing deviations, but most of all, we must be concerned about left-wing deviations") and ability to defuse rancor remaining from Mao's day was incredible. On freeing up access to other information and internal discussion, he said "If you open the window, some flies will get in" - acknowledging the potential problem while minimizing it. Deng is also famous for saying that "It doesn't matter if a cat was white or black - as long as it catches mice" - emphasizing that China needed to focus on end goals, not means.

Unfortunately, "Modern China" also did not do a good job explaining why Mao eventually defeated the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek.

I bought this book to get some basic information about the recent history of China. After reading the first three chapters, which basically deal with Chinese history, I was disappointed because from random information I was missing some parts (like the invasion of Tibet - not mentioned, or the reforms of Deng Xiaoping - one line or two mentioning the reforms without any explanations, Tianaman Square - mentioned briefly). I was expecting that the last three chaptors would provide more information. Unfortunately, the last three chapters deal more with the personal opinion of the author about what "mordern" means and whether China in his opinion should be regarded as a modern country. I was expecting this book to provide informtation to afterwards make up my mind about China on my own. An opinion is fine - but really half of the (not really big) book, without treating even crucial events in China with more than three lines?