The Changing Face of China: From Mao to Market

by John Gittings

Where is China heading in the twenty-first century? Recent curtailments of liberty, such as the new "cyberwall" prohibiting internet users from reaching pro-democracy websites, has dimmed the hopes of many that China might be entering a new era of freedom on the heels of rapid economic
expansion and success. Will China's Communist Party be able to balance an economy which demands liberal reform with their own hard-line approach to government control? Or will their new economy be their undoing, as its demands on natural resources bring China to the brink of environmental disaster?
In this highly readable account, John Gittings sheds light on modern Chinese history as he answers these vital questions.
Gittings, the Guardian 's China specialist and East Asia editor for twenty years, offers a fascinating glimpse into Chinese history in the last half century. His narrative ranges from the early Peach-Blossom socialism, to the Great Leap Forward, the two Cultural Revolutions, the Hundred Flowers,
the Gang of Four, and the Tiananmen Square massacre. Bringing his account to the present, Gittings concludes that environmental degradation and rising pollution represent the most serious threats to the Chinese people today. He points out that the nightmare scenario for China is not a collapse of
the Party or of the banks, or another uprising by the rural masses. It is that China will run out of water.
Based on three decades reporting on China, Gittings charts a complex but epic history of one of the world's superpowers. His work will offer insights for readers with an interest in modern China, and students of modern Chinese history and politics.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Asia, Economics

384 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2005

Reviews

[Daniel Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, struggled to get into but second half saved it, would've been better if I knew more to start with

[Mike Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of chinese history from 1949-2005. It gives a decent insight into the motives economic reform as China attempted communism, and then eventually adapted to world capitalism. The book does it's best to cover this period of history in China, but it was always going to be difficult to cover in a single book due to it being China. The narrative can sometimes be a bit meandering in its chronological order, but one can appreciate the difficulty in attempting to explain complex situations. The book really comes alive when explaining such events as the Tiennman massacre, opening China to the world or Mao's initial foray into communsim, but it does lag in other chapters, but then again this a book about chinese reforms so parts will always seem relatively slow.

Overall an interesting read, espeically for a reader that didn't know much about chinese history in this period.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick reading. Filled with so much information you might finish it thinking you're an expert (you wont be, its China for crying out loud), but other then that no negatives :)

[Dan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

academic and lots of Chinese names that, try as I might, I cannot remember.

[Mike]

I hit a wall at 50 pages.

[Hyperbolus · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting details but there's a shocking lack of detail on many parts of the Maoist era [which was mainly what I bought this book for]. The author came to China during Mao's cultural revolution and reported on China ever since. What it seems like to me is that he used all his articles for this book and couldn't be bothered researching the earlier parts of it leading to a void of information on topics such as the great leap forward. Narratively the book is a mess jumping all over the place incoherently and it can get bogged down in places with all the Chinese names included in it. Overall, a decent book about China's post Mao reform but let down by shoddy research in parts and a poor narrative.

4/10

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the first impressions of the title may lead one to expect a sociological analysis of modern China, The Changing Face of China is as much a well written history on modern China as a study of China's extraordinary evolution.
Though the history contained within this study is more concise than in the other China books out there, it is nonetheless a decent study of modern China with many details to be found that were missing in other books.
The actual namesake of the book, China's changing face, isn't realized until the last two chapters, which deals in great length with many of the phenomena any follower of current affairs could not possibly be unaware of with regard to China; the rapid rise of consumerism, environmental degradation, widespread corruption, health scares, mega projects, etc.
The book also contains an interesting insight into separatism in Tibet and Xinjiang, the return of Hong Kong, and the continued stalemate over Taiwan.
While this may shed very little new light for any experienced China hands, it is nonetheless a well written book and a pleasurable way to revise one's knowledge of China.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, only problem was I didn’t get into the book until the second half. It was mainly because the author wrote in a different style than expected. I expected a timeline history but it was more of a collage of different issues throughout China’s history. Overall 3.9 out of 5

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. Given its diminutive size, I was really expecting another journalism-type jaunt through modern China, discussing history through a selection of anecdotes relevant to the author's experience. In fact, this was a well researched and very learned treatise on a specific subset of Chinese history- that related to its economic expansion and the political problems it has face in making these changes. The level of detail on the events and meetings the author describes are quite engaging and not your typical broad topic fare. Highly recommended for anyone serious about modern China.

[Bart Schuijt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a difficult read because – like a colleague Goodreader mentioned also – of the many names mentioned throughout the book. Nevertheless, this book contains an incredible amount of information about China's recent history and gave me a better understanding of China's struggles in the past few decennia. Personally I prefer books that are non-repetitive and insightful. This is such a book. Recommended to everyone with a serious interest in China.

[Suvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asian Studies