Understanding China: A Guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Culture

In this succinct, modest, and refreshingly forthright book--now revised and updated for the new century--Starr introduces to the uninitiated reader the background, basic data, and issues at stake in China's crisis-ridden present and future. The death of Deng Xioaping in February 1997, revelations about Chinese influence in our election campaigns, and Chinese eagerness to acquire advanced American technology, are only some of the developments that show how urgently we need to know and understand China better than we do. In this revised edition of his essential book, Starr focuses his shrewd attention on them all. He furnishes additional material on China's relations with Taiwan and Tibet, the transfer of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, China's nuclear weapons program, and its environmental and human rights records.

About the Author :
John Bryan Starr, who served as President of both the Yale China Association and the China Institute in New York City, and as managing director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform in Providence, Rhode Island, is now Executive Director of the Tri-State Consortium. In addition, he serves as Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Education at Brown University. The author of many articles and books on China, including "Ideology and Culture" and "Continuing the Revolution: The Political Thought of Mao," and editor of "The Future of U.S.-China Relations," he has taught at the University of California, Yale, and Dartmouth. He lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Review :
"An excellent introduction to China for anyone in search of solid but concise information about that complicated country. Packed with facts and figures, but enlivened with firsthand observations."--Lucian W. Pye, "The New York Times" "Invaluable . . . Provides substantial coverage of the relationships between China's history and present-day system."--"MultiCultural Review" "An impressive and comprehensive survey of mainland China's geography, political structure, military establishment, economics, and recent history. Invaluable and indispensable reading for students of contemporary Chinese culture and society, "Understanding China" is an outstanding compendium of current reports on such critical issues as the status of Taiwan and Hong Kong, the nature of the Chinese armed forces upon the Chinese economy; the uneven development and structure of Chinese commerce and finance; the problems inherent between autocratic governance and democratic rule; the role of the arts; and more. "Understanding China" is very highly recommended and informative reading for American policy makers, businessmen, journalists, students of Chinese affairs, as well as China-bound travelers."--"Midwest Book Review "