Corruption and Anticorruption in Modern China

Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Modern China collects essays from the scholars in their fields and examines the ongoing corruption in China by addressing this important topic from a historical perspective through a cooperative interdisciplinary research effort among Chinese-American scholars interested in the subject. Their scholarship makes a significant contribution through multi-faceted components from different fields such as history, economics, political science, criminal justice, and popular culture. The authors introduce and explore the theory and practice of policy patterns, political systems, and social institutions by identifying key issues in Chinese government and society contained within the larger framework of the international sphere. This book describes a historical transition when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintained its forceful control of cities while the middle class reluctantly sacrificed its rights in exchange for retaining their economic benefits. To survive market economy, the party leadership became more flexible and was able to adapt to economic and social change. The CCP governments in our research responded to the rising demands and expectations of the society. They were willing and able to cope with the middle class by making a few compromises and following certain legal procedures in exchange for continuing political support. These practical comprises characterized a new political culture in PRC history since 1949. The book voices the complaints and resentments in the cities, and interprets government policies and legal practices. It emphasizes the consequence for governance, human rights, and commercial rule of law, all of which threatens the legitimacy of the CCP. It also suggests an important evolution of the CCP. The reform movement since the 1980s has not yet contributed significantly to the country’s democratic transformation or to its social stability. The leaders in the 1990s focused on liberal economic reform while discouraging and even stifling political reform. As a result, economic interest groups successfully established an alliance with CCP officials to control economic policy-making and to share political governance. In the 2010s, Chinese leaders have paid special attention to political scandals, corruption, and mismanagement in the government and in the Party.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Who to Blame: Party, State, or Society? By Qiang Fang and Xiaobing Li List of Abbreviations Part I: Centralized Power and Authoritarianism Chapter 1: Fundamental Flaws: Corruption Reporting and Tackling in the Qing, Qiang Fang Chapter 2: Accountability, Supervision, and Penalty: Yuan Shikai as a Watchdog in Managing Government Officials, Patrick Fuliang Shan Part II: Political Parties and Legitimacy Chapter 3: Chiang Kai-shek versus Guomindang’s Corruption in the Republic Era, Sherman Xiaogang Lai Chapter 4: Anti-corruption Policy and Party Politics: The Lost Political Battle and the Fate of the GMD, Xiaobing Li Chapter 5: Crime (or No Crime) and Punishment: The Making of the First Big Case in New China and Legitimation of CCP Party Governance, 1950–1991, Zhiguo Yang Part III: Government, Individuals, and Conflict Interests Chapter 6: Connection, Corruption, and Confrontation: Lake Weishan, Xiaojia Hou Chapter 7: Power versus Law: Anticorruption in Shaanxi during Jiang Zemin’s Era, Dongyu Yang Chapter 8: Runaway Chinese Officials and International Chase, Yue Li and Chen Liu Chapter 9: Language of Protest: Corruption Exposed in Popular Rhymes, Helen Xiaoyan Wu Chapter 10: Corruption during China's Golden Ages: Case Studies in the Han and Tang Dynasties, Stella Y. Xu Part IV: New Century, New Struggle Chapter 11: Hu Jintao’s Anti-corruption Action (or non action): The Bo Xilai Case and After, Xiansheng Tian Chapter 12: The New Leadership Fights the Old Battle: Eight Regulations, Xiaoxiao Li Chapter 13: Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption in a Historical Perspective, Qiang Fang Conclusion: Anticorruption: A Global Thorny Task, Qiang Fang and Xiaobing Li

About the Author :
Qiang Fang is professor of East Asian history at the University of Minnesota Duluth and president of Chinese Historians in the United States. Xiaobing Li is professor and chair of the Department of History and Geography and director of the Western Pacific Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Review :
The authors of this fascinating volume deftly explore the intersecting issues of moral corruption, bureaucratic corruption, and no-holds-barred political struggle across Chinese history and even (in the final chapter) in the arena of American politics. In doing so, they enhance our understanding of a major issue of debate among historians of China and place Xi Jinping’s contemporary anti-corruption campaign in historical and international perspective. The editors have dealt with a very important topic, Chinese corruption, from a historical perspective, the time periods of the warlords in the early 20th century, the Guomintang, and the People’s Republic of China. They put together a good group of scholars from interdisciplinary perspectives. It is very refreshing to read the book. Spanning the long course of Chinese history, the rich case studies found herein are linked by common themes—corruption and anticorruption—that permeate political rule across time and space, and shed new light on contemporary developments in the PRC under Xi Jinping.