Description: Approaching questions about the nature and future of China through the lens of sports--particularly as sports finds its utmost international expression in the Olympics--this work argues that athletics, as a focus of popular interest, has the capacity to bring about major social changes.
Brief description: William C. Kirby is Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration and T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University, as well as Chair of the Harvard China Fund and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai. His many books include Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth.
Review Quotes: What distinguishes this...from so many of the recent flood of books on China, is its emphasis on the political and national role of sport in the Chinese ascendancy...The Olympics are emblematic of the "new" China but, interestingly, [Xu] speculates on whether the long-held dream of the Communist party to host the Olympics may well spell the beginning of its end.--Steven Carroll "The Age" (7/26/2008 12:00:00 AM)