Description: "It is tempting to attribute China's recent ascendance to changes in political leadership and economic policy. Making China Modern teaches otherwise. Moving beyond the standard framework of Cold War competition and national resurgence, Klaus Mèuhlhahn situates twenty-first-century China in the nation's long history of creative adaptation ... This dynamic legacy of overcoming adversity and weakness is apparent today in China's triumphs--but also in its most worrisome trends. Telling a story of crisis and recovery, [this book] explores the versatility and resourcefulness that matters most to China's survival, and to its future possibilities"--Publisher's description.
Brief description: Klaus Mühlhahn is Professor of Modern China Studies and President of Zeppelin University. His Criminal Justice in China won the John K. Fairbank Prize in East Asian History.
Review Quotes: Mühlhahn chronicles reforms, revolutions, and wars through the lens of institutions, often rebutting Western impressions, such as the view of Chinese bureaucracy as monolithic. He also warns against thinking of China's economic success as proof of a unique path without contextualizing it in historical specifics.-- "New Yorker" (4/15/2019 12:00:00 AM)