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The Fall and Rise of China
The Fall and Rise of China, taught by China expert and Professor Richard Baum of the University of California, Los Angeles, brings to vivid life the human struggles, the titanic political upheavals, and the spectacular speed of China's modern rebirth. Offering multilevel insight into one of the most astounding real-life dramas of modern history, The Fall and Rise of China weaves together the richly diverse developments and sociopolitical currents that created the China we now see in the headlines.
As we enter what some are already calling the "Chinese century," the role of China is deeply fundamental to our reading of the direction of world civilization and history. In 48 penetrating lectures, The Fall and Rise of China takes you to the heart of the events behind China's new global presence, leaving you with a clear view of both the story itself and its critical implications for our world.
Course Lecture Titles
48 Lectures, 30 minutes per lecture
1. The Splendor That Was China, 600–1700
2. Malthus and Manchu Hubris, 1730–1800
3. Barbarians at the Gate, 1800–1860
4. Rural Misery and Rebellion, 1842–1860
5. The Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860–1890
6. Hundred Days of Reform and the Boxer Uprising
7. The End of Empire, 1900–1911
8. The Failed Republic, 1912–1919
9. The Birth of Chinese Communism, 1917–1925
10. Chiang, Mao, and Civil War, 1926–1934
11. The Republican Experiment, 1927–1937
12. "Resist Japan!" 1937–1945
13. Chiang's Last Stand, 1945–1949
14. "The Chinese People Have Stood Up!"
15. Korea, Taiwan, and the Cold War, 1950–1954
16. Socialist Transformation, 1953–1957
17. Cracks in the Monolith, 1957–1958
18. The Great Leap Forward, 1958–1960
19. Demise of the Great Leap Forward, 1959–1962
20. "Never Forget Class Struggle!" 1962–1965
21. "Long Live Chairman Mao!" 1964–1965
22. Mao's Last Revolution Begins, 1965–1966
23. The Children's Crusade, 1966–1967
24. The Storm Subsides, 1968–1969
25. The Sino-Soviet War of Nerves, 1964–1969
26. Nixon, Kissinger, and China, 1969–1972
27. Mao's Deterioration and Death, 1971–1976
28. The Legacy of Mao Zedong—An Appraisal
29. The Post-Mao Interregnum, 1976–1977
30. Hua Guofeng and the Four Modernizations
31. Deng Takes Command, 1978–1979
32. The Historic Third Plenum, 1978
33. The "Normalization" of U.S.-China Relations
34. Deng Consolidates His Power, 1979–1980
35. Socialist Democracy and the Rule of Law
36. Burying Mao, 1981–1983
37. "To Get Rich Is Glorious," 1982–1986
38. The Fault Lines of Reform, 1984–1987
39. The Road to Tiananmen, 1987–1989
40. The Empire Strikes Back, 1989
41. After the Deluge, 1989–1992
42. The "Roaring Nineties," 1992–1999
43. The Rise of Chinese Nationalism, 1993–2001
44. China's Lost Territories—Taiwan, Hong Kong
45. China in the New Millennium, 2000–2008
46. China's Information Revolution
47. "One World, One Dream"—The 2008 Olympics
48. China's Rise—The Sleeping Giant Stirs
As we enter what some are already calling the "Chinese century," the role of China is deeply fundamental to our reading of the direction of world civilization and history. In 48 penetrating lectures, The Fall and Rise of China takes you to the heart of the events behind China's new global presence, leaving you with a clear view of both the story itself and its critical implications for our world.
Course Lecture Titles
48 Lectures, 30 minutes per lecture
1. The Splendor That Was China, 600–1700
2. Malthus and Manchu Hubris, 1730–1800
3. Barbarians at the Gate, 1800–1860
4. Rural Misery and Rebellion, 1842–1860
5. The Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860–1890
6. Hundred Days of Reform and the Boxer Uprising
7. The End of Empire, 1900–1911
8. The Failed Republic, 1912–1919
9. The Birth of Chinese Communism, 1917–1925
10. Chiang, Mao, and Civil War, 1926–1934
11. The Republican Experiment, 1927–1937
12. "Resist Japan!" 1937–1945
13. Chiang's Last Stand, 1945–1949
14. "The Chinese People Have Stood Up!"
15. Korea, Taiwan, and the Cold War, 1950–1954
16. Socialist Transformation, 1953–1957
17. Cracks in the Monolith, 1957–1958
18. The Great Leap Forward, 1958–1960
19. Demise of the Great Leap Forward, 1959–1962
20. "Never Forget Class Struggle!" 1962–1965
21. "Long Live Chairman Mao!" 1964–1965
22. Mao's Last Revolution Begins, 1965–1966
23. The Children's Crusade, 1966–1967
24. The Storm Subsides, 1968–1969
25. The Sino-Soviet War of Nerves, 1964–1969
26. Nixon, Kissinger, and China, 1969–1972
27. Mao's Deterioration and Death, 1971–1976
28. The Legacy of Mao Zedong—An Appraisal
29. The Post-Mao Interregnum, 1976–1977
30. Hua Guofeng and the Four Modernizations
31. Deng Takes Command, 1978–1979
32. The Historic Third Plenum, 1978
33. The "Normalization" of U.S.-China Relations
34. Deng Consolidates His Power, 1979–1980
35. Socialist Democracy and the Rule of Law
36. Burying Mao, 1981–1983
37. "To Get Rich Is Glorious," 1982–1986
38. The Fault Lines of Reform, 1984–1987
39. The Road to Tiananmen, 1987–1989
40. The Empire Strikes Back, 1989
41. After the Deluge, 1989–1992
42. The "Roaring Nineties," 1992–1999
43. The Rise of Chinese Nationalism, 1993–2001
44. China's Lost Territories—Taiwan, Hong Kong
45. China in the New Millennium, 2000–2008
46. China's Information Revolution
47. "One World, One Dream"—The 2008 Olympics
48. China's Rise—The Sleeping Giant Stirs
24 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2010
59 people are currently reading
840 people want to read
About the author
Richard Baum
46 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Dr. Richard Baum is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at UCLA, where he specializes in the study of modern Chinese politics and foreign relations. He earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Professor Baum has lived and lectured extensively throughout China and Asia. He has served as Visiting Professor or Visiting Scholar at institutions including Peking University, Meiji Gakuin University (Japan), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princeton University, and Arizona State University, where he was honored as Distinguished Visiting Scholar for 2008.
He is the author/editor of nine books, including Prelude to Revolution: Mao, the Party, and the Peasant Question, 1962–1966; and a personal memoir, China Watcher: Confessions of a Peking Tom.
Professor Baum has served on the boards of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the Joint Committee on Contemporary China of the Social Science Research Council. He has been a consultant to numerous public and private agencies, including the White House, the United Nations, and the RAND Corporation. He is also a frequent commentator on Chinese and East Asian affairs for the BBC World Service, CNN International, and National Public Radio.
Dr. Richard Baum is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at UCLA, where he specializes in the study of modern Chinese politics and foreign relations. He earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Professor Baum has lived and lectured extensively throughout China and Asia. He has served as Visiting Professor or Visiting Scholar at institutions including Peking University, Meiji Gakuin University (Japan), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princeton University, and Arizona State University, where he was honored as Distinguished Visiting Scholar for 2008.
He is the author/editor of nine books, including Prelude to Revolution: Mao, the Party, and the Peasant Question, 1962–1966; and a personal memoir, China Watcher: Confessions of a Peking Tom.
Professor Baum has served on the boards of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the Joint Committee on Contemporary China of the Social Science Research Council. He has been a consultant to numerous public and private agencies, including the White House, the United Nations, and the RAND Corporation. He is also a frequent commentator on Chinese and East Asian affairs for the BBC World Service, CNN International, and National Public Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
January 5, 2019
It was not my fault; the Gang of Four poisoned my mind as I held up five fingers with the implication being that Mao was at fault too. I think I’ll blame them too for me not having had known anything about China history since 1750 including how creepy the British were with their Boxer Rebellion and foisting opium on to the Chinese masses in order to enrich the coffers of the British, or for have not knowing what Maoism meant and how cults can lead to a ‘cultural revolution’, starvation and mass murder.
You ever notice that no matter where you are in the world ‘the last refuge of a scoundrel is patriotism’, and when Samuel Johnson said that he surely meant exclusive patriotism the kind of patriotism that morphs into Nationalism. The lecturer points out that the heroes of Tiananmen Square were called unpatriotic by the authoritarian oligarchy who was ruling over China at the time. No matter where or when we are in space or time scoundrels appeal to patriotism in order to justify their privileges and enslavement of the other. The powerful and the privileged love to justify their status and the status quo by demeaning others not like them by calling them unpatriotic, and in the case of Tiananmen Square it’s clear who the real heroes were and who were the scoundrels.
The lecturer made a point of how important it is to have good leadership at the top and what a difference a judicious decision can make. As the lecturer stated, an American ambassador was approached by a Russian ambassador in 1968 and wanted to know what the US would do if they ‘took out’ the Chinese Nuclear armament sites. Wisely President Nixon let it be known in no uncertain terms that would not be tolerated. The lecturer makes the point how different history could have been if somebody else had been in charge; I don’t know maybe if the president in those days had been someone who believed absurd statements such as ‘climate change is a Chinese hoax’ just maybe the world would have been a whole lot worse than it is today.
Instead of blaming the Gang of Four for my own ignorance I could have just listened to this highly informative lecture series on China.
You ever notice that no matter where you are in the world ‘the last refuge of a scoundrel is patriotism’, and when Samuel Johnson said that he surely meant exclusive patriotism the kind of patriotism that morphs into Nationalism. The lecturer points out that the heroes of Tiananmen Square were called unpatriotic by the authoritarian oligarchy who was ruling over China at the time. No matter where or when we are in space or time scoundrels appeal to patriotism in order to justify their privileges and enslavement of the other. The powerful and the privileged love to justify their status and the status quo by demeaning others not like them by calling them unpatriotic, and in the case of Tiananmen Square it’s clear who the real heroes were and who were the scoundrels.
The lecturer made a point of how important it is to have good leadership at the top and what a difference a judicious decision can make. As the lecturer stated, an American ambassador was approached by a Russian ambassador in 1968 and wanted to know what the US would do if they ‘took out’ the Chinese Nuclear armament sites. Wisely President Nixon let it be known in no uncertain terms that would not be tolerated. The lecturer makes the point how different history could have been if somebody else had been in charge; I don’t know maybe if the president in those days had been someone who believed absurd statements such as ‘climate change is a Chinese hoax’ just maybe the world would have been a whole lot worse than it is today.
Instead of blaming the Gang of Four for my own ignorance I could have just listened to this highly informative lecture series on China.
December 17, 2014
The decline of China began in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries when the opium trade shifted their trade balance into negative territory. (Why do I have this ominous feeling that China is currently getting their revenge?) Indeed, many people predict that the 21st Century will be the Chinese Century.
Given China’s prominence in the world today I figured that this was a good time to listen to these 48 lectures. The course progresses with all the drama of a great story. From time to time Professor Baum shares from his personal experiences of travels in China. His engaging and occasionally humorous style is always interesting.
The treatment of China by the Western powers during 19th Century has been likened unto "sharing among thieves." In the first half of the 20th Century Japan demonstrated that even a country that's not part of Christendom can behave badly. Japan was simply trying to do what the colonial powers had been doing all around the world for hundreds of years. (The arrogance of the colonial mindset is beyond belief!) It can be convincingly argued that if Japan hadn't invaded China (1937-45) that Chiang Kai-shek would have been able to completely wipe out Mao's People's Liberation Army (PLA). But of course, that's not the way history played out.
The communist takeover of China in 1949 was within my lifetime, but I was too young at the time to know what was going on. So I'm glad to finally have the story told to me in detail. I was astounded to learn that, according the Chinese government’s own numbers, they executed 710,000 people in the early years of 1949-53. (Some historians believe the number of deaths range between 2 million and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5 million people, perhaps as many as 4 to 6 million, were sent to "reform through labor" camps where many perished.)
Then I learned that there were 1 million Chinese killed in the Korean War. Then I learned that an estimated 35 million died from famine caused by the Great Leap Forward. And then I learned about the mass insanity during the Cultural Revolution when it's estimated between 3/4 to 1 million were killed and approximately an equal number maimed and crippled. A million here, a million there, after awhile one becomes desensitized to the numbers. It's amazing that China has been able to recover from this history as well as they have.
Some of the weird consequences of the misapplied incentives and social expectations of this era appear to be potential fodder for an absurdist comedy. It was instead a tragedy of huge scale and almost beyond belief. The Chinese have experienced considerable cognitive dissidence in their recent history (e.g. Mao is always correct while his many mistakes are obvious). It's fascinating to hear examples of Chinese "right thinking" struggling to change, sometimes turning on a dime, other times slowly changing in face of much controversy.
The following is a quotation of Professor Baum's regarding the insanity of the Cultural Revolution:
As the narrative moves into the post-Mao opening up of China, Professor Baum's personal involvement with China enhances the lectures with interesting little stories of encounters with Chinese people and politicians. It is these stories that make these lectures among the most interesting that I've ever heard. I think anybody who is interested in foreign affairs will find these lectures of interest.
These lectures were published in 2010 and thus are able to comment on the 2008 Olympic Games and other recent events. The award of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo occurred after these lectures were recorded, so there are no comments on that incident.
Given China’s prominence in the world today I figured that this was a good time to listen to these 48 lectures. The course progresses with all the drama of a great story. From time to time Professor Baum shares from his personal experiences of travels in China. His engaging and occasionally humorous style is always interesting.
The treatment of China by the Western powers during 19th Century has been likened unto "sharing among thieves." In the first half of the 20th Century Japan demonstrated that even a country that's not part of Christendom can behave badly. Japan was simply trying to do what the colonial powers had been doing all around the world for hundreds of years. (The arrogance of the colonial mindset is beyond belief!) It can be convincingly argued that if Japan hadn't invaded China (1937-45) that Chiang Kai-shek would have been able to completely wipe out Mao's People's Liberation Army (PLA). But of course, that's not the way history played out.
The communist takeover of China in 1949 was within my lifetime, but I was too young at the time to know what was going on. So I'm glad to finally have the story told to me in detail. I was astounded to learn that, according the Chinese government’s own numbers, they executed 710,000 people in the early years of 1949-53. (Some historians believe the number of deaths range between 2 million and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5 million people, perhaps as many as 4 to 6 million, were sent to "reform through labor" camps where many perished.)
Then I learned that there were 1 million Chinese killed in the Korean War. Then I learned that an estimated 35 million died from famine caused by the Great Leap Forward. And then I learned about the mass insanity during the Cultural Revolution when it's estimated between 3/4 to 1 million were killed and approximately an equal number maimed and crippled. A million here, a million there, after awhile one becomes desensitized to the numbers. It's amazing that China has been able to recover from this history as well as they have.
Some of the weird consequences of the misapplied incentives and social expectations of this era appear to be potential fodder for an absurdist comedy. It was instead a tragedy of huge scale and almost beyond belief. The Chinese have experienced considerable cognitive dissidence in their recent history (e.g. Mao is always correct while his many mistakes are obvious). It's fascinating to hear examples of Chinese "right thinking" struggling to change, sometimes turning on a dime, other times slowly changing in face of much controversy.
The following is a quotation of Professor Baum's regarding the insanity of the Cultural Revolution:
"How to explain all this madness? In numerous memoirs and reminiscences of the events of this period, former red guards have acknowledged the brutality of their own behavior, yet without being able to satisfactorily explain how the boundaries of conventional civility had been so easily breeched. Clearly, peer group pressure and absence of adult supervision were important factors. Much as they had been key factors in William Golding’s account of adolescent brutality in his vivid novel, Lord of the Flies. In the case of the Red Guards mass hysteria was an additional factor. A psychological contagion had been induced by the student’s frenzied devotion to Chairman Mao. In giving vent to their most destructive impulses, they truly believed they were acting on behalf of their living deity. In such a hyper charged atmosphere the license to defy authority interacted with immature youthful absolutism and over active teenage hormones to create an explosive and potentially deadly mix."The worst rampages of the Cultural Revolution continued from 1966 to 1969. It was finally brought to an official end with the government sending, within a 6 month time period in 1969, 10 million Red Guard youths to the rural areas. They were duped into accepting the one-way trip with slogans about the patriotism of working with the peasants. They only did what they understood Chairman Mao wanted them to do, and they were rewarded with their potentially educated futures being taken away from them and replaced with a future of working among the peasants. These 10 million are now referred to by some as China's lost generation. (Some of these 10 million trickled back into the cities during the next two decades and ended up being successful entrepreneurs.) The power struggles and political instability between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976 are now also widely regarded as part of the Revolution.
As the narrative moves into the post-Mao opening up of China, Professor Baum's personal involvement with China enhances the lectures with interesting little stories of encounters with Chinese people and politicians. It is these stories that make these lectures among the most interesting that I've ever heard. I think anybody who is interested in foreign affairs will find these lectures of interest.
These lectures were published in 2010 and thus are able to comment on the 2008 Olympic Games and other recent events. The award of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo occurred after these lectures were recorded, so there are no comments on that incident.
July 29, 2020
This lecture series covered something I'd never encountered except at the most high level or tangentially in history classes or other reading -- just what happened to China to go from essentially the most developed nation in the world, to sick man of Asia, to nearly a century of turmoil to modern China. The author/lecturer is a UCLA scholar who has focused on China, and was involved in many of the US contacts with China throughout the last 50 years, so he's particularly well suited to present this material.
Modern Chinese history is much more complex than you'd assume by just looking at it today (or comparable Russian history from 1917 to 1989), and seemed very path dependent. CCP had more internal challenges than it would appear from outside, and a lot of the big events (Long March, Cultural Revolution, Democracy protests and Tiananmen Square crackdown, Taiwan/Hong Kong situation, Uighurs) are less monolithic than I'd thought.
It's a pretty long lecture series, and still doesn't cover China pre-1800s. I'll probably try the "China from Yao to Mao" series next, and then try to find more specialized books about specific topics, but for modern China, this seems to be a relatively balanced and comprehensive overview.
Modern Chinese history is much more complex than you'd assume by just looking at it today (or comparable Russian history from 1917 to 1989), and seemed very path dependent. CCP had more internal challenges than it would appear from outside, and a lot of the big events (Long March, Cultural Revolution, Democracy protests and Tiananmen Square crackdown, Taiwan/Hong Kong situation, Uighurs) are less monolithic than I'd thought.
It's a pretty long lecture series, and still doesn't cover China pre-1800s. I'll probably try the "China from Yao to Mao" series next, and then try to find more specialized books about specific topics, but for modern China, this seems to be a relatively balanced and comprehensive overview.
February 3, 2013
Rather than a book, this is a series of 48 - 1/2 hour lectures (you have your choice of audio of video format...I'm cheap so I went audio...after waiting for a sale & a coupon...check out TGC.com. It is not cheap, but it was worth it in my case). We're planning a China trip, so I was motivated to learn a bit about the recent history of the country and perhaps appreciate the surroundings of the cities and countrysides more easily.
Dr Baum, the lecturer, had studied China for more than 4 decades, teaching at UCLA for much of that time (he recently passed away) and lectured for TGC with a passion (and love) for the Chinese people (laobaixing) that encouraged me to finish this series in less than a month (kind of like finishing a semester of a college course in a month). The first 7 lectures covered (very) briefly pre-Mao Chinese history...Light? Yes. But enough to get the parts dealing with the Opium Wars and Boxer Rebellion and the appalling behavior of the Western imperialists...giving the Chinese people reason to be pissed off (and I'm not taking sides...like Dr Baum did). Then came the Japanese and their imperialist efforts, ultimately leading to WWII.
The rest of the lectures carefully traced the transition from the dynastic to the republic of China; from Sun Yat-sen to Chiang K'ai-shek & Mao, through the bitter civil war and onto the brutal communist regime. The narrative follows the course of Mao's early experiments with social and economic systems, following Stalin's blueprint...yielding dismal results and heightened civil unrest. What struck me most,for example, was the collective farm movement (I couldn't help thinking about the US's current efforts to expand 'collective bargaining' with Federal Unions) that proved to 'dis-incentivetivize the collective workforce and lead to starvation and death throughout the country.
Dr Baum's detractors claim that he's too easy on the despotic, down-right monstrous, methods and actions of Mao Zedung during his periodic purges and social experiments...I tend to agree, but fully understand that Baum's point may be more directed toward the Chinese population (aka victims) and tries a more positive outlook for the future of China and her relations with the rest of the world...especially the US. We should look at the Chinese people as more than just the 'Chi-coms', but as people trying to make a better life for themselves (apart from their government's mechanisms).
I enjoyed the lectures, even though it took an effort to persist through some 'tough' spots. Many kudos to Dr Baum....if only I could have had him along on our trip to translate...
Dr Baum, the lecturer, had studied China for more than 4 decades, teaching at UCLA for much of that time (he recently passed away) and lectured for TGC with a passion (and love) for the Chinese people (laobaixing) that encouraged me to finish this series in less than a month (kind of like finishing a semester of a college course in a month). The first 7 lectures covered (very) briefly pre-Mao Chinese history...Light? Yes. But enough to get the parts dealing with the Opium Wars and Boxer Rebellion and the appalling behavior of the Western imperialists...giving the Chinese people reason to be pissed off (and I'm not taking sides...like Dr Baum did). Then came the Japanese and their imperialist efforts, ultimately leading to WWII.
The rest of the lectures carefully traced the transition from the dynastic to the republic of China; from Sun Yat-sen to Chiang K'ai-shek & Mao, through the bitter civil war and onto the brutal communist regime. The narrative follows the course of Mao's early experiments with social and economic systems, following Stalin's blueprint...yielding dismal results and heightened civil unrest. What struck me most,for example, was the collective farm movement (I couldn't help thinking about the US's current efforts to expand 'collective bargaining' with Federal Unions) that proved to 'dis-incentivetivize the collective workforce and lead to starvation and death throughout the country.
Dr Baum's detractors claim that he's too easy on the despotic, down-right monstrous, methods and actions of Mao Zedung during his periodic purges and social experiments...I tend to agree, but fully understand that Baum's point may be more directed toward the Chinese population (aka victims) and tries a more positive outlook for the future of China and her relations with the rest of the world...especially the US. We should look at the Chinese people as more than just the 'Chi-coms', but as people trying to make a better life for themselves (apart from their government's mechanisms).
I enjoyed the lectures, even though it took an effort to persist through some 'tough' spots. Many kudos to Dr Baum....if only I could have had him along on our trip to translate...
August 23, 2020
I listened to the course in the great courses series. Dr. Baum is engaging, particularly when describing the last decades that he has lived personally. I have learned a lot about how current China and Taiwan came to be, and the politics and protagonists behind it all.
October 26, 2025
Politics aside, China is one of the most important kingdoms in history. No debate.
And so I was always embarrassed my Chinese history understanding went essentially something like this:
-Great Wall of China, Disney Mulan, Terracota Warriors….Communism….
I especially wanted to understand “modern” Chinese history and this DELIVERED what I was looking for!
The time period covers late 1700’s - 2008 Beijing Olympics, with around a third covering 1730-1950, around a third covering 1950-1980, and the last third covering 1980-2008.
Because this came out in 2013, I think it benefits from being before much of the political debate that hangs over any American conversation on China today. Professor Baum in my view covers subjects objectively, and with effort to not fall into a “pro”/“anti” sentiment.
Professor Baum will occasionally go into personal anecdotes, which I found amusing, but I could see others wishing to skip.
Overall, this gave a very digestible, yet informative view of a nearly 3 century period that explains SO many modern issues still impacting our geo-political world today. From the Opium Wars to Chinas brief flirtations with Democracy, to Chinas Civil War, to Mao Zedongs rule, to numerous modern China-British-American political interactions of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, I would go as far as say EVERY person should read/listen to this book. More time-sensitive readers could even choose to skip between chapters and still take away important learnings.
And so I was always embarrassed my Chinese history understanding went essentially something like this:
-Great Wall of China, Disney Mulan, Terracota Warriors….Communism….
I especially wanted to understand “modern” Chinese history and this DELIVERED what I was looking for!
The time period covers late 1700’s - 2008 Beijing Olympics, with around a third covering 1730-1950, around a third covering 1950-1980, and the last third covering 1980-2008.
Because this came out in 2013, I think it benefits from being before much of the political debate that hangs over any American conversation on China today. Professor Baum in my view covers subjects objectively, and with effort to not fall into a “pro”/“anti” sentiment.
Professor Baum will occasionally go into personal anecdotes, which I found amusing, but I could see others wishing to skip.
Overall, this gave a very digestible, yet informative view of a nearly 3 century period that explains SO many modern issues still impacting our geo-political world today. From the Opium Wars to Chinas brief flirtations with Democracy, to Chinas Civil War, to Mao Zedongs rule, to numerous modern China-British-American political interactions of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, I would go as far as say EVERY person should read/listen to this book. More time-sensitive readers could even choose to skip between chapters and still take away important learnings.
July 10, 2018
This book has put together many events, which when I learned long time ago in school, I wasn't able to put the causal links and innate connections in a more comprehensive way. For example, the book presented the real figure of the bi-lateral trade between China and Britain in those years before the Opium War and made the cause of the war really clear. Somehow I wish that the author could go into more details with more elaborations on events and anecdotes, but that is too much to wish for in a general introduction course.
In later chapters, the author presented more detailed descriptions of events from 1970 onward. Since he himself was present in China often, he provided many personal stories. Somehow I feel that the author deliberately stays on the surface of events, refusing to go into analysis or insightful reflections, probably because this course is at the level of undergraduate introduction.
In the last chapter, technology is identified as a liberation force which will bring freedom and democracy. I agree to a certain point. This book is obviously written eight to ten years ago and the the damage of the technology to democracy is not conspicuous as it is demonstrated now. Fake opinions coming from fake companies established by shady establishment, the issues with Facebook data, online censorship from various governments. Technology helps democracy as much as it helps anti-democracy measures. The battle for freedom continues, just on different battle grounds.
In later chapters, the author presented more detailed descriptions of events from 1970 onward. Since he himself was present in China often, he provided many personal stories. Somehow I feel that the author deliberately stays on the surface of events, refusing to go into analysis or insightful reflections, probably because this course is at the level of undergraduate introduction.
In the last chapter, technology is identified as a liberation force which will bring freedom and democracy. I agree to a certain point. This book is obviously written eight to ten years ago and the the damage of the technology to democracy is not conspicuous as it is demonstrated now. Fake opinions coming from fake companies established by shady establishment, the issues with Facebook data, online censorship from various governments. Technology helps democracy as much as it helps anti-democracy measures. The battle for freedom continues, just on different battle grounds.
August 2, 2017
I freely admit listening to most of these twice or even three times this past month as I lectured on Chinese history. Not only is Baum an excellent and engaging lecturer, a true role model, he goes all the way to the 2008 Olympics and beyond, pushing forward the interpretation of contemporary Chinese history as a burgeoning superpower still obsessed with overturning those unequal treaties that put it in such a difficult spot during the 19th century, and returning to an idealized version of the 'flourishing age' of the 18th century. It is a pity Baum passed away in 2012, leaving me to wonder aloud in class what he would say about the newest chapter of Chinese history. Certainly the mixture of despair and hope he mentions feeling near the end, in 2010, would not have been resolved.
Baum's expertise reaches its maximum when we tackle the causes of the Cultural Revolution, particularly the deepening conflict between Mao Zedong on the one hand, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and other "experts" on the other, during the years after the Great Leap Forward. Baum's story about finding, in a Taiwanese library in the 1970s, documents showing how Liu's twisting of the Mao's educational program after 1962 made Mao furious, is a classic anecdote on the motivation and real practice of doing Chinese history. All of his lectures on the 1970s through 2010 are sprinkled with personal anecdotes that add great depth and color to his account, again inspiring today's less-experienced lecturer.
Baum's expertise drops off considerably in his approaches the 19th century. I was going to relate his anecdote about Qishan, the Manchu viceroy who took over Lin Zexu's post, and I had included the note that Qishan spent the rest of his life in exile after signing the Chuanbi Convention; but it's not exactly true -- Qishan was called back to court and served in several important posts afterward. This is not to castigate Baum in the least, but as a reminder that we must all be modest when we teach these big survey classes, as the most we can do is present the major turning points of history and one or two illustrative stories and biographical portraits, or perhaps some useful data for quantitative analysis. Nobody knows it all.
Baum's expertise reaches its maximum when we tackle the causes of the Cultural Revolution, particularly the deepening conflict between Mao Zedong on the one hand, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and other "experts" on the other, during the years after the Great Leap Forward. Baum's story about finding, in a Taiwanese library in the 1970s, documents showing how Liu's twisting of the Mao's educational program after 1962 made Mao furious, is a classic anecdote on the motivation and real practice of doing Chinese history. All of his lectures on the 1970s through 2010 are sprinkled with personal anecdotes that add great depth and color to his account, again inspiring today's less-experienced lecturer.
Baum's expertise drops off considerably in his approaches the 19th century. I was going to relate his anecdote about Qishan, the Manchu viceroy who took over Lin Zexu's post, and I had included the note that Qishan spent the rest of his life in exile after signing the Chuanbi Convention; but it's not exactly true -- Qishan was called back to court and served in several important posts afterward. This is not to castigate Baum in the least, but as a reminder that we must all be modest when we teach these big survey classes, as the most we can do is present the major turning points of history and one or two illustrative stories and biographical portraits, or perhaps some useful data for quantitative analysis. Nobody knows it all.
February 7, 2021
Detailed and compelling lectures. The series covers the mid-1800s—early 2000s.
The lessons really pick up once they reach the decades where the professor had spent time in China personally. His experiences help peel back another layer of China's complexity. Some of his visits also have impeccable timing, like when his university (UCLA) was the first American university to negotiate an exchange agreement with another university in China, following the newly established US-China relations a few months earlier in January 1979.
The late professor Baum held many representative and consultant positions, and includes his personal stories into the lessons when they line up chronologically. This adds the feel of a reporter on the ground during some of China's most historic moments. He's fluent in Mandarin, so you also get the local's thoughts and feelings through his daily interactions. Some of his own terms are occasionally shared, further helping you to connect historical events, like his "post-Tiannenmen Stress Syndrome". The format and professor combine for an unbeatable lecture series for the material being covered.
The lessons really pick up once they reach the decades where the professor had spent time in China personally. His experiences help peel back another layer of China's complexity. Some of his visits also have impeccable timing, like when his university (UCLA) was the first American university to negotiate an exchange agreement with another university in China, following the newly established US-China relations a few months earlier in January 1979.
The late professor Baum held many representative and consultant positions, and includes his personal stories into the lessons when they line up chronologically. This adds the feel of a reporter on the ground during some of China's most historic moments. He's fluent in Mandarin, so you also get the local's thoughts and feelings through his daily interactions. Some of his own terms are occasionally shared, further helping you to connect historical events, like his "post-Tiannenmen Stress Syndrome". The format and professor combine for an unbeatable lecture series for the material being covered.
August 10, 2020
This was a more recent history than I expected, or would usually choose, but it was one of the few interesting options in a buy-one-get-second-free deal, and I'm glad I picked it. It provides a great deal of context to contemporary politics, as well as providing me with a greater understanding of things I only had a vague understanding of (the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution in particular). It'll definitely get a few more listens.
May 1, 2019
Good insights into and overview of China's modern history. The professor is self-focused (as many are in my experience), calling attention to his own excursions and endeavours. These digressions may be pertinent, but can also leave the listener with a feeling of the instructor's biases.
Produced in 2013, so a little dated in its forward-looking optimism, (the latest iteration of the CCP has become far more hostile to freedom).
Produced in 2013, so a little dated in its forward-looking optimism, (the latest iteration of the CCP has become far more hostile to freedom).
May 13, 2019
Формат: Аудиокнига Язык: Английский
В целом добротный цикл лекций по истории Китая 19-начала 21-го веков. От опиумных войн 1840-х до 2009 года (когда видимо были записаны данные лекции). Автор - американский профессор, китаист. В целом подача материала вполне хороша, не совсем согласен с оценкой некоторых событий.
К перепрочтению - возможно, по мере необходимости, года через 3-4.
В целом добротный цикл лекций по истории Китая 19-начала 21-го веков. От опиумных войн 1840-х до 2009 года (когда видимо были записаны данные лекции). Автор - американский профессор, китаист. В целом подача материала вполне хороша, не совсем согласен с оценкой некоторых событий.
К перепрочтению - возможно, по мере необходимости, года через 3-4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2021
Whilst technically not a book, but a series of lectures, this was an engaging synopsis of the modern history of China. It is borderline criminal the lack of history we are taught at schools, so suffice to say, most of this (other than an exceptionally high-level anecdotal understanding) was new to me.
Fascinating stuff.
Fascinating stuff.
September 24, 2021
Enlightening easy read for anyone trying to understand quickly the history of ancient and modern China.
March 10, 2022
Alittle out of date but a good introduction
August 9, 2017
A very good overview of the history of China from Mao to 1990. The lecturer is articulate, well spoken and passionate about the subject. Definitely worth the 48 hr time commitment
April 7, 2022
Illuminating and well read by the author. I’ve loved this series of Great Lectures on Audible.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 5, 2019
The lectures are the best way to understand modern China. The professor builds the image of an inward-looking China, which lost its way before the second world war only to regain its rightful position in the world order now. It's clear to me that the Chinese deserve their place among the top nations of the world. I think they should be given this right because they are very different from the militant Japanese cousins. Chinese have really taken to Confucius, they are only really concerned with the integrity of their own land and not really interested in any sort of colonization as demonstrated by their history.
August 3, 2014
The lecture series works on almost all the counts perfectly: the topic is extremely important and relatively uncovered. The views are largely unbiased even if one disagrees with many of the conclusions. The style is completely engaging with the professor mixing the landmark historical events with personal anecdotes or interesting normal life incidents to create a sense of a grand, purposeful story rumbling towards a rousing climax. And most importantly, the details are rich, illuminating and still undaunting and easy to understand.
To start with, the book starts exactly at a point that is so logical but rarely utilized. The relevancy enhanced by skipping the millennia of empires, scholars and apparently exotic lifestyle comes in handy throughout the book. Professor Baum present this history as that of another human society in all its achievements, ambitions, injustices and mistakes.
All the larger than life, history-shaping politicians are shown as real life, real time humans - ambitious, at times idealistic, at times narcissistic, vain, insecure, ill-informed and taking decisions without remotely being aware of the implications. The last point on the implications is particularly important as it is often lost to many of us later day observers that there is little inevitability or even significance when most events that are later seen as monumental begin. Professor Baum somehow finds enough time to describe tens of otherwise lesser known Chinese politicians who shaped the world history more than hundreds popularly known to the readers of contemporary western history.
The decription of the events is breath-taking, even more than the sheer scope. From the opium wars to the last days of the royalty, the Taiping and Boxer rebellions, the rise of the nationalists, the ins and the outs of Sun Yat Sen, the common origins and the crazy split of Kuomintang and the Communists, the rise from obscurity of Mao and the fall to the obscurity (in the Chinese context at least) of Chiang Kai Shek, the Japanese invasion and implications, the Korean war, the Cultural revolution, the Great Leap, the purges of many politicians, the gang of four, the mostly uncertain and (at least then-appearing) unspectacular rise and era of Deng etc etc
There is so much to learn from this series that somehow is not just relevant but enormously interesting.
To start with, the book starts exactly at a point that is so logical but rarely utilized. The relevancy enhanced by skipping the millennia of empires, scholars and apparently exotic lifestyle comes in handy throughout the book. Professor Baum present this history as that of another human society in all its achievements, ambitions, injustices and mistakes.
All the larger than life, history-shaping politicians are shown as real life, real time humans - ambitious, at times idealistic, at times narcissistic, vain, insecure, ill-informed and taking decisions without remotely being aware of the implications. The last point on the implications is particularly important as it is often lost to many of us later day observers that there is little inevitability or even significance when most events that are later seen as monumental begin. Professor Baum somehow finds enough time to describe tens of otherwise lesser known Chinese politicians who shaped the world history more than hundreds popularly known to the readers of contemporary western history.
The decription of the events is breath-taking, even more than the sheer scope. From the opium wars to the last days of the royalty, the Taiping and Boxer rebellions, the rise of the nationalists, the ins and the outs of Sun Yat Sen, the common origins and the crazy split of Kuomintang and the Communists, the rise from obscurity of Mao and the fall to the obscurity (in the Chinese context at least) of Chiang Kai Shek, the Japanese invasion and implications, the Korean war, the Cultural revolution, the Great Leap, the purges of many politicians, the gang of four, the mostly uncertain and (at least then-appearing) unspectacular rise and era of Deng etc etc
There is so much to learn from this series that somehow is not just relevant but enormously interesting.
April 13, 2022
There's no doubt I learned a lot about the details of political and socio-economic shifts in China during the past 150 years or so from this lecture series. If you don't know the basic outlines of this period in Chinese history, these lectures are an easy way to get a handle on that, along with what for me was a better understanding of the forces influencing it. Baum's anecdotes from his travels and political consulting gigs also provided some outsider's insights, as it were.
Despite the edutainment value of some of this, the lectures often became cringey when Baum began to editorialize and prognosticate from back in 2010. Hey, this ain't CNN, lol. As others have noted, there is an over-dramatized and self-congratulatory feel to the delivery. The delivery style was like a grandpa reading a scary fairytale to his grandchildren before bed. Just not appropriate imo.
While there is plenty of interesting history here, Baum's attitude turned me off considerably at several points. Starting with his pronounced vilification of the only two politically powerful female characters (Mao is given a soft pass in comparison), and including a bizarre characterization of the Chinese people as being self-pitying and crying victim, he has more than a few hot takes that just left me cold. I get that he needs to straddle both doing his job as a western "Peking Tom" (yikes) and remain acceptable to the Chinese government so as to retain access, but sometimes I got seasick on the swing between finger wagging and shameless gushing. Too editorial. Then he tells us that he went to China during a period of increased nationalism and anti-American sentiment, and is then surprised when he gets dumped in a rough neighborhood by a pedi-cab driver. He escapes from the situation by hailing a cab. Why not take a cab to begin with if you don't want to be resented for being rickshawed around like some foreign pasha?
Worth listening to for free with Audible or via a library.
Despite the edutainment value of some of this, the lectures often became cringey when Baum began to editorialize and prognosticate from back in 2010. Hey, this ain't CNN, lol. As others have noted, there is an over-dramatized and self-congratulatory feel to the delivery. The delivery style was like a grandpa reading a scary fairytale to his grandchildren before bed. Just not appropriate imo.
While there is plenty of interesting history here, Baum's attitude turned me off considerably at several points. Starting with his pronounced vilification of the only two politically powerful female characters (Mao is given a soft pass in comparison), and including a bizarre characterization of the Chinese people as being self-pitying and crying victim, he has more than a few hot takes that just left me cold. I get that he needs to straddle both doing his job as a western "Peking Tom" (yikes) and remain acceptable to the Chinese government so as to retain access, but sometimes I got seasick on the swing between finger wagging and shameless gushing. Too editorial. Then he tells us that he went to China during a period of increased nationalism and anti-American sentiment, and is then surprised when he gets dumped in a rough neighborhood by a pedi-cab driver. He escapes from the situation by hailing a cab. Why not take a cab to begin with if you don't want to be resented for being rickshawed around like some foreign pasha?
Worth listening to for free with Audible or via a library.
April 27, 2021
It's a bit hard to really rate since it's a very comprehensive history (at least in the 20th century segment) with varying success. What is nice about Baum is that he seems very sincere and really tries to understand the culture. He speaks Chinese and visited the country plenty of times (unlike some other China watchers and commentators, which feel more propagandistic). Sometimes he gets a bit carried away with his anecdotes and humor that doesn't super resonate with me, but it's generally fine.
I've felt that the most controversial bits like the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution or the June Fourth Incident were okay but with some strange commentary on it at times. Since it's an audiobook, there are no sources and he doesn't refer to many in the text, so I wondered at times, where he got his information from. He has a very democratic outlook with sometimes hindered him for a deeper understanding of underlying concepts, but it generally is very hard to get to the core of the things with Western glasses on. I suppose that the actual interpretation of most events can be left to political thinkers and philosophers and I'm happy that he mostly stuck to just recounting the history. To get a grip on Mao or Deng, you should look else where. For a comprehensive Western-mainstream account, this is very nice and accessible.
I've felt that the most controversial bits like the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution or the June Fourth Incident were okay but with some strange commentary on it at times. Since it's an audiobook, there are no sources and he doesn't refer to many in the text, so I wondered at times, where he got his information from. He has a very democratic outlook with sometimes hindered him for a deeper understanding of underlying concepts, but it generally is very hard to get to the core of the things with Western glasses on. I suppose that the actual interpretation of most events can be left to political thinkers and philosophers and I'm happy that he mostly stuck to just recounting the history. To get a grip on Mao or Deng, you should look else where. For a comprehensive Western-mainstream account, this is very nice and accessible.
February 20, 2022
This Great Courses series features Richard Baum, a UCLA professor in China Studies and a veteran of many visits to the country since the 1960s. The audio collection is over a decade out of date (sadly, Mr. Baum passed away in 2012), though I don't see more recent news events as doing much to recast his overall message.
This series doesn't have much to say about the considerable body of pre-modern Chinese history; the focus is on modern China, which went from a weak, insular, decaying empire in the 19th century to what it is today, a country pursuing a return to its glorious heights of ancient times, while grappling with all the problems of modernity and an autocratic state that's still very much in control. Baum seems to take a relatively balanced position, which is helpful for someone like me, who certainly doesn't trust the CCP's glowing self-assessments, but also doesn't trust the honesty or accuracy of anti-China propaganda from the crazies of the American far right.
I care less about "spoilers" when discussing non-fiction, but, well, spoiler alert...
Interesting takeaways:
* The sheer hypocrisy of the Opium Wars. Selling Opium in Britain was punishable by death, but when Chinese officials destroyed tons of Opium that British merchants had been peddling there, the British reacted as though a terrible injustice had been committed against them, responding with military force and severe economic reprisals.
* It's not hard to see why China went over to the Communists instead of to the Nationalists (the two main factions that clashed before and after World War Two, with a mostly-observed truce for fighting the Japanese). While the Nationalists had the support of the United States, they were corrupt and ill-behaved towards the population, while the Communists made a priority of winning the hearts and minds of the people. Obviously, this doesn't excuse the horrors later perpetrated by Mao, once the power was fully in his hands, but it seems like a lesson worth taking note of.
* You might have had that crazy, right-wing relative back in the 80s who was convinced that the USSR and China would get together in a great commie alliance and try to take over the world (unless we all voted for Reagan). The reality was that the two countries had way less of a united front during the Cold War than is commonly supposed by Westerners. The Chinese leadership distrusted the Soviets as having lost touch with true revolutionary zeal, while the Soviets, who had more money and industry to dispense around the Third World, appointed themselves the leaders of the greater socialist bloc and mostly shut the People's Republic out. There were fundamental disagreements over how to handle the war between North Vietnam and the US, and China and the USSR had direct military clashes along their border. An amusing anecdote was about Chinese soldiers who'd moon Soviet ones. However, just as the Chinese were lowering their trousers, the Russians would hold up portraits of Chairman Mao. Few were brave enough to moon HIM. Around the Nixon era, China deliberately tried to move closer to the US, not particularly trusting Moscow.
* The Cultural Revolution: like most Americans, I'd known that the Cultural Revolution was a period of suffering for China, but I hadn't realized just how chaotic it was, with different factions brawling in mad battles that were supposedly over who was most Revolutionary, but were really about power. Chairman Mao's fickle favor seemed to swing back and forth, providing the justification for fresh bursts of violence and recrimination, while the military stood by, ordered not to act. I'd always assumed that Mao was more in control of things than he seemingly actually was.
* The struggles with liberalization post-Mao. Some wanted a more open society, but the hardliners were reluctant to relinquish control. Obviously, they didn't want to be turned on by the people, as sometimes happened violently in counterrevolutions. (Sample quote: "you have three million college students, but I have three million soldiers, and I will cut your @#$% heads off!")
* The lead-up to Tianamen Square (the bloody 1989 incident that's still verboten for Chinese to discuss on the internet). I hadn't really known how large and widespread the demonstrations against the state were, and it's hard to blame our instructor (on the scene at the time) for thinking the CCP was on the verge of being toppled, as was going on with communist states elsewhere. One former protest leader interviewed had an interesting observation: "Where does the responsibility of an arrogant, imperious government end, and that of immature, self-righteous students begin?"
* China's switch in the 1990s to what was pretty much a capitalist society with an authoritarian government (albeit more relaxed than in the past). While the communist system hadn't worked well, China quickly fell afoul of many of the traditional ills of capitalism, e.g. poorer regions being left behind the wealthier ones, workers (especially migrants from said poorer regions) being terribly exploited and mistreated by bosses, "businesses" of questionable ethics, corruption, etc.
* Just how nationalistic present-day China has become. From the author's telling, there's the weird scenario in which Chinese don't necessarily like their own government and its rigid, uncompromising qualities, but they still get angry when it isn't rigid and uncompromising ENOUGH with foreigners, e.g. in the case of military tensions with the US around Taiwan. It sounds like there's a lot of the "national honor" stuff that I normally associate with pre-1914 Europe.
* Despite all its problems on the domestic front (including terrible mistreatment of Tibetans and Uighurs), China has been a more responsible global player than is typical for modern great powers (insert two second flash montage of 20th century), so there's hope of sharing the world peacefully with the US, assuming the latter remains a democracy.
Definitely recommended. The instructor has a tendency to stumble over his words more than usual for a Great Course series, which might annoy some, though it didn't bother me too much.
This series doesn't have much to say about the considerable body of pre-modern Chinese history; the focus is on modern China, which went from a weak, insular, decaying empire in the 19th century to what it is today, a country pursuing a return to its glorious heights of ancient times, while grappling with all the problems of modernity and an autocratic state that's still very much in control. Baum seems to take a relatively balanced position, which is helpful for someone like me, who certainly doesn't trust the CCP's glowing self-assessments, but also doesn't trust the honesty or accuracy of anti-China propaganda from the crazies of the American far right.
I care less about "spoilers" when discussing non-fiction, but, well, spoiler alert...
Interesting takeaways:
* The sheer hypocrisy of the Opium Wars. Selling Opium in Britain was punishable by death, but when Chinese officials destroyed tons of Opium that British merchants had been peddling there, the British reacted as though a terrible injustice had been committed against them, responding with military force and severe economic reprisals.
* It's not hard to see why China went over to the Communists instead of to the Nationalists (the two main factions that clashed before and after World War Two, with a mostly-observed truce for fighting the Japanese). While the Nationalists had the support of the United States, they were corrupt and ill-behaved towards the population, while the Communists made a priority of winning the hearts and minds of the people. Obviously, this doesn't excuse the horrors later perpetrated by Mao, once the power was fully in his hands, but it seems like a lesson worth taking note of.
* You might have had that crazy, right-wing relative back in the 80s who was convinced that the USSR and China would get together in a great commie alliance and try to take over the world (unless we all voted for Reagan). The reality was that the two countries had way less of a united front during the Cold War than is commonly supposed by Westerners. The Chinese leadership distrusted the Soviets as having lost touch with true revolutionary zeal, while the Soviets, who had more money and industry to dispense around the Third World, appointed themselves the leaders of the greater socialist bloc and mostly shut the People's Republic out. There were fundamental disagreements over how to handle the war between North Vietnam and the US, and China and the USSR had direct military clashes along their border. An amusing anecdote was about Chinese soldiers who'd moon Soviet ones. However, just as the Chinese were lowering their trousers, the Russians would hold up portraits of Chairman Mao. Few were brave enough to moon HIM. Around the Nixon era, China deliberately tried to move closer to the US, not particularly trusting Moscow.
* The Cultural Revolution: like most Americans, I'd known that the Cultural Revolution was a period of suffering for China, but I hadn't realized just how chaotic it was, with different factions brawling in mad battles that were supposedly over who was most Revolutionary, but were really about power. Chairman Mao's fickle favor seemed to swing back and forth, providing the justification for fresh bursts of violence and recrimination, while the military stood by, ordered not to act. I'd always assumed that Mao was more in control of things than he seemingly actually was.
* The struggles with liberalization post-Mao. Some wanted a more open society, but the hardliners were reluctant to relinquish control. Obviously, they didn't want to be turned on by the people, as sometimes happened violently in counterrevolutions. (Sample quote: "you have three million college students, but I have three million soldiers, and I will cut your @#$% heads off!")
* The lead-up to Tianamen Square (the bloody 1989 incident that's still verboten for Chinese to discuss on the internet). I hadn't really known how large and widespread the demonstrations against the state were, and it's hard to blame our instructor (on the scene at the time) for thinking the CCP was on the verge of being toppled, as was going on with communist states elsewhere. One former protest leader interviewed had an interesting observation: "Where does the responsibility of an arrogant, imperious government end, and that of immature, self-righteous students begin?"
* China's switch in the 1990s to what was pretty much a capitalist society with an authoritarian government (albeit more relaxed than in the past). While the communist system hadn't worked well, China quickly fell afoul of many of the traditional ills of capitalism, e.g. poorer regions being left behind the wealthier ones, workers (especially migrants from said poorer regions) being terribly exploited and mistreated by bosses, "businesses" of questionable ethics, corruption, etc.
* Just how nationalistic present-day China has become. From the author's telling, there's the weird scenario in which Chinese don't necessarily like their own government and its rigid, uncompromising qualities, but they still get angry when it isn't rigid and uncompromising ENOUGH with foreigners, e.g. in the case of military tensions with the US around Taiwan. It sounds like there's a lot of the "national honor" stuff that I normally associate with pre-1914 Europe.
* Despite all its problems on the domestic front (including terrible mistreatment of Tibetans and Uighurs), China has been a more responsible global player than is typical for modern great powers (insert two second flash montage of 20th century), so there's hope of sharing the world peacefully with the US, assuming the latter remains a democracy.
Definitely recommended. The instructor has a tendency to stumble over his words more than usual for a Great Course series, which might annoy some, though it didn't bother me too much.
September 7, 2012
A very good series of lectures.
The complex, multi-faceted nature of Mao's personality and leadership I found especially fascinating and well done. The presenter often has a surprising up-close and personal platform to observe many of China's recent events. There are probably few China-watchers with such a position. The personal impressions and anecdotes were appreciated, as well as the smooth spoken delivery of those often hard to remember Chinese names. Somehow he managed to render them intelligible to my English ears.
The complex, multi-faceted nature of Mao's personality and leadership I found especially fascinating and well done. The presenter often has a surprising up-close and personal platform to observe many of China's recent events. There are probably few China-watchers with such a position. The personal impressions and anecdotes were appreciated, as well as the smooth spoken delivery of those often hard to remember Chinese names. Somehow he managed to render them intelligible to my English ears.
January 15, 2020
A very well done lecture series.
This is what I get for not reading the synopsis though. It was a time period that I'm not particularly interested in. I was expecting a lecture on ancient China. Even though it wasn't what I was looking for I learned a lot. I didn't know much about Chinese history post Mao.
This is what I get for not reading the synopsis though. It was a time period that I'm not particularly interested in. I was expecting a lecture on ancient China. Even though it wasn't what I was looking for I learned a lot. I didn't know much about Chinese history post Mao.
December 31, 2020
The definitive explanation of China's transformation from a medieval empire to a modern world leader, with its Communist past, present, and probably the future. I've especially enjoyed the Great Courses format which provides a structured explanation of not only historical events but also why they happened and how they were shaped by cities, rural areas, and international affairs.
March 24, 2021
The lectures taper off towards the end, when it gets to modern times - but all of the history 1960's and earlier was fascinating.
August 13, 2022
Fascinating look at modern China, especially the last hundred years. Man that Mao--what a guy! :-(
November 17, 2020
The late Professor Richard Baum, a China Watcher for approximately forty years and a professor of Political Science at UCLA, provided this forty-eight lecture series from The Great Courses that was completed in 2010. At the time, he stated in his penultimate lecture that he had won his battle with cancer, thus making it a poignant ending when he gave his final goodbye in the last lecture only to pass away two years later.
In any case, Professor Baum provided a very impressive set of discourses on this modern history of China beginning with a synopsis of some ancient Chinese history which brought the student quickly to the fall of the Manchu Dynasty and the development of Chinese Communism under the leadership of Mao Zedong. He then continues on through 2010 at the time ending with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and a discussion of the awakening of China politically and economically in the world community.
Professor Baum's lectures were educational and well-worthwhile for any serious student of Asian culture for many different reasons. First, the lectures are detailed in describing the modern history of China. As a China watcher for many years he was very much aware of sociological and political situations in China throughout the 20th century. Second, Professor Baum brought a personal aspect to the lectures in helping the student understand the existing and historical atmosphere in China. He did this in many cases by telling personal anecdotes of his experiences in China over the past forty to fifty years. Several of those anecdotes were poignant and personally described the situation of the Chinese people and their hardships under an oppressive government. Third, Professor Baum proved to be an independent and rational observer and educator. In other words, he did not fear to candidly and accurately tell about current and modern historical occurrences and their detrimental and traumatic effects on the Chinese population. He had no qualms in detailing the disquieting and tragic aftermath of such events as the Rape of Nanjing, the Five Year Plan, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, Tiananmen Square, and their devastating ramifications.
Finally, Professor Baum was a practical educator. He not only told us what we needed to know about modern Chinese history and culture, but he also told us what we could do regarding America's current situation with China. Some of his final words were that we should "Watch, wait, and hope." These words would probably be wise counsel to the leaders of our nations as we watch "The sleeping giant" stir.
In any case, Professor Baum provided a very impressive set of discourses on this modern history of China beginning with a synopsis of some ancient Chinese history which brought the student quickly to the fall of the Manchu Dynasty and the development of Chinese Communism under the leadership of Mao Zedong. He then continues on through 2010 at the time ending with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and a discussion of the awakening of China politically and economically in the world community.
Professor Baum's lectures were educational and well-worthwhile for any serious student of Asian culture for many different reasons. First, the lectures are detailed in describing the modern history of China. As a China watcher for many years he was very much aware of sociological and political situations in China throughout the 20th century. Second, Professor Baum brought a personal aspect to the lectures in helping the student understand the existing and historical atmosphere in China. He did this in many cases by telling personal anecdotes of his experiences in China over the past forty to fifty years. Several of those anecdotes were poignant and personally described the situation of the Chinese people and their hardships under an oppressive government. Third, Professor Baum proved to be an independent and rational observer and educator. In other words, he did not fear to candidly and accurately tell about current and modern historical occurrences and their detrimental and traumatic effects on the Chinese population. He had no qualms in detailing the disquieting and tragic aftermath of such events as the Rape of Nanjing, the Five Year Plan, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, Tiananmen Square, and their devastating ramifications.
Finally, Professor Baum was a practical educator. He not only told us what we needed to know about modern Chinese history and culture, but he also told us what we could do regarding America's current situation with China. Some of his final words were that we should "Watch, wait, and hope." These words would probably be wise counsel to the leaders of our nations as we watch "The sleeping giant" stir.
December 2, 2021
The professor was, as usual for The Great Courses, very good. He had spent most of his career as a Chinese historian, political adviser and teacher of Chinese socio-politics in prominent US universities. The listener could really feel his strong personal connections to the events in China over the last 40 years as well as his deep understanding of the reasons behind the events.
The personal anecdotal experiences of the professor of the historical events in China were probably the most interesting part of the lectures.
As for the content - I really enjoyed peeking into the Chinese society, the everyday life and feelings of the common people, the _lao baixing_, as well as the origins story and political background for the various leaders like Mao Zedong, Zhu Rongji, etc.
The time period of the lectures was from the "fall" of China in the 18-19th century to under Western and Japanese influence until the "rise" of China in the early 21st century. On one hand - I understand that it's inevitable to limit the timeline from thousands of years to a few hundred to be able to go to any kind of depth with the material. And the China today is mostly influenced by this period.
On the other hand, the historical period of the lectures still felt very long .. so long that lectures about many of the earlier events before the communist revolution were only covered briefly. In a way, I felt that high school history classes had covered quite a lot of the broad storyline of the less in-depth lectures..
The personal anecdotal experiences of the professor of the historical events in China were probably the most interesting part of the lectures.
As for the content - I really enjoyed peeking into the Chinese society, the everyday life and feelings of the common people, the _lao baixing_, as well as the origins story and political background for the various leaders like Mao Zedong, Zhu Rongji, etc.
The time period of the lectures was from the "fall" of China in the 18-19th century to under Western and Japanese influence until the "rise" of China in the early 21st century. On one hand - I understand that it's inevitable to limit the timeline from thousands of years to a few hundred to be able to go to any kind of depth with the material. And the China today is mostly influenced by this period.
On the other hand, the historical period of the lectures still felt very long .. so long that lectures about many of the earlier events before the communist revolution were only covered briefly. In a way, I felt that high school history classes had covered quite a lot of the broad storyline of the less in-depth lectures..
March 13, 2021
Excellent series of lectures on the modern history of China--perhaps even better than the series on ancient China, though it's hard to say. For me a lot of this was review as I have read a fair number of books about China already and knew a lot of the big events that took place throughout the lectures, from the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, the Great March, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, Tiananmen Square, etc. Still, Richard Baum does a great job of explaining these various events and digging into the what and the why and keeping things balanced without just coloring China as evil. I still found myself getting so mad at Mao and the horrible things he did, and often found myself disgusted with what the Chinese government chose to do at various points (the stuff they did during the Beijing Olympics!!!!), but Baum still manages to keep an even keel and it's a great series, perfect for anyone wanting to jump in. Baum also has a lot of personal experiences that connect to the lectures' content of many of the events mentioned above.
It is funny listening to these in 2021, though, as the end of the lectures he makes some tentative predictions about the way China is going which, at least so far, have not really come true...
It is funny listening to these in 2021, though, as the end of the lectures he makes some tentative predictions about the way China is going which, at least so far, have not really come true...
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