With a population of nearly 1.5 billion and the world's second largest economy, China is a major player in the world today, and yet many in the West know very little about contemporary China. This book provides a clear, authoritative and up-to-date history of China since 1949, drawing on extensive research to describe and explain the key developments and to dispel the many myths and misconceptions surrounding this twenty-first-century superpower.

In contrast to many commentators who overstate the novelty of the Communist regime, Guiheux emphasizes instead its complex political heritage, highlighting the many continuities it shares with the reformers and revolutionaries of the early twentieth century. At the same time, the ability of China's authoritarian regime to transform the economy and society is key to understanding its breakneck trajectory of modernization - an ability that, as Guiheux explains, far outweighed the importance and effectiveness of Mao's utopian vision. Guiheux also aims to 'de-exoticize' China. While not on the path of a Western-style modernity, China has experienced the same phenomena that have characterized every historical process of modernization: industrialization, urbanization, bureaucratization and globalization.

This expertly researched history of the People's Republic of China will be essential reading for all students and scholars of Chinese history and politics, and for anyone interested in contemporary China.

About the Author
Gilles Guiheux is a historian and sociologist at Universite Paris Cite.

Reviews

'A comprehensive and well-balanced account of today's China and how it evolved, from the political system to culture, from history to twenty-first-century society, set in the context of the long-term national development of the country whose evolution will affect the whole world.'
Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China


'Moving beyond tired frames that stress China's uniqueness and incommensurability, Guiheux skilfully situates the history of the PRC in broadly comparative terms. Particularly effective is the balance struck between a chronological account and the thematically specific analyses of politics, society, culture and economy. A wonderful achievement of synthesis and insight with much to offer to both specialist and lay reader alike.'
Arunabh Ghosh, Harvard University

'To many, China is a complicated, threatening and opaque nation. Gilles Guiheux aims to "'de-exoticize' China and analyse its transformations in the light of other human societies", and he succeeds. By the book's final page, the mysterious and alien become transparent and familiar, serving the reader well as the West strategizes a constructive path forward with the most populous superpower.'
Chris Fenton, Former President of DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group (China)

Book Information
ISBN 9781509552498
Author Gilles Guiheux
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 794g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 160mm * 43mm