Description:
Xiaohong Liu brings twelve years of personal experience in the Chinese foreign service to this pathbreaking study. Drawing on her own direct observations, interviews, and newly available Chinese sources, she examines four generations of Chinese ambassadors, who served from 1949 to 1994. She charts the evolution of the Chinese diplomatic corps from its early military orientation to the emergence of career professionals and assesses the impact of various ambassadors on Chinese foreign policy.
Review Quotes:
"This thoughtfully structured and soundly based volume offers an insider's insightful probe into four generations of Chinese ambassadors and their evolution from military cadres to career professionals. Liu suggests that the development has helped to mold a more pragmatic and more cosmopolitan political culture for the ruling elite, instilled an open attitude toward international cooperation, and 'transformed China from an outsider to an insider in the international system.'."
-- "Choice"