"Cuts through the cacophony of information, misinformation, and nonsense on China that circulates in our modern world to give us reliable answers to crucial questions... Should be on the shelf of anyone seeking to understand this fast-rising superpower."
-Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China

After years of isolation, China is now center stage as an economic and global power, but its rise has triggered wildly divergent views. Is it a model of business efficiency or a threat to American prosperity and security? Thirty-six of the world's leading China experts from Harvard University's renowned Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies answer key questions about this new superpower, distilling a lifetime of scholarship into short and accessible essays about Chinese politics, culture, history, economy, approach to the environment, and foreign policy. Their contributions provide essential insight into the challenges China faces, the aspirations of its people and leaders, its business climate, and the consequences of its meteoric ascent. Many books offer information about China, but few make sense of what is truly at stake.

"Impressive... A highly informative, readable collection for scholars and nonscholars alike."
-Publishers Weekly

"Provides a more nuanced and accessible perspective on the issues China is facing."
-South China Morning Post

"Erudite yet accessible... The topical reach is impressive."
-Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of China in the 21st Century

About the Author
Jennifer Rudolph is author of Negotiated Power in Late Imperial China: The Zongli Yamen and the Politics of Reform and coeditor of The China Questions: Critical Insights into a Rising Power. She is Professor of Asian History and International/Global Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Michael Szonyi is author of The Art of Being Governed: Everyday Politics in Late Imperial China and Cold War Island: Quemoy on the Front Line and coeditor of The China Questions: Critical Insights into a Rising Power. He is Frank Wen-hsiung Wu Professor of Chinese History and Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.

Reviews
Sound bites about China, spoken by either the media or politicians, can fall into the trap of oversimplification. This can result in assumptions that, like the tip of an iceberg, do not reveal the myriad complexities below the surface... [The China Questions] provides a more nuanced and accessible perspective of the issues China is facing, ranging from political and economic to cultural and societal. -- Bernice Chan * South China Morning Post *
This collection is impressive for its comprehensiveness, with contributors providing numerous pointed observations...This is a highly informative, readable collection for scholars and nonscholars alike. * Publishers Weekly *
This book cuts through the cacophony of information, misinformation, and nonsense on China that circulates in our modern world to give us reliable answers to crucial questions about one of the world's most important nations. Written by a who's-who of experts on a variety of topics, it's also a pleasure to read. With stylish essays on everything from elite politics to the classical Chinese novel, it should be on the shelf of anyone seeking to understand this fast-rising superpower. -- Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China
The China Questions is packed with erudite yet accessible commentaries on issues ranging from literature to ethnic diversity. The topical reach is impressive; readers will come away with information concerning novel ways of thinking about everything from early philosophical traditions to modern visions of utopia and dystopia, from international relations to struggles for political legitimacy. -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of China in the 21st Century



Book Information
ISBN 9780674237520
Author Jennifer Rudolph
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Harvard University Press
Publisher Harvard University Press