Readable, informative and clear, this widely used survey of twentieth-century China has been a welcome introduction to an unfamiliar world for many thousands of readers since its first appearance in 1986. Much has happened since then, with political tension going hand in hand with a spectacular economic growth under Deng Xiaoping that has caused the outside world to recognise China, with mixed emotions, as a rising superpower. This eagerly awaited and substantially expanded new edition (reset in a more generous format) brings the story up to date.
Read for a class on 20th century Chinese literature. This provided a broad brushstrokes overview of 20th century Chinese history. Sometimes it seemed overly sympathetic to Mao and the CCP, but given my lack of knowledge in this subject area, it's difficult for me to say for certain. The book was written in an easily digestible manner, even for those who don't usually read history books.