Description: Originally published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2017
Review Quotes: "Fascinating. . . . A deep historical and cultural study of the meaning of China's rise from the point of view of the Chinese themselves." --The New York Times Book Review
"French knows the country well . . . . He stresses a political history that helps illuminate territorial conflicts between China and its neighbors." --The New Yorker "A very timely book. . . . Accessible and stimulating. . . . Mr. French is an engaging guide." --The Wall Street Journal"Provocative . . . Clearly argued. . . . Filled with memorable sentences." --The New York Review of Books "It is difficult to imagine a better guide than Howard French's Everything Under the Heavens. . . . This book is an outstanding font of knowledge and provides compelling insights into how China sees the world and its own destiny." --Forbes "Lively and illuminating." --Tash Aw, The Guardian
"[An] expert study into the roots of [China's] geopolitical ambitions . . . One of the most lucid and illuminating books on China's conception of power and of its place in the world. . . . Fascinating." --The Times Literary Supplement (London) "Compelling . . . fluent and interesting." --Financial Times "French makes it clear China's sense of national superiority is of more than historical significance. . . . Chilling." --The Globe and Mail (Toronto) "The best account we currently have of the cultural and historical influences on China's 21st century aspirations. . . . The scale of 21st-century Chinese ambition, and its determination not to be simply absorbed into the Western liberal order, become powerfully evident." --Asian Review of Books
"A valuable resource for the continuity in the Chinese approach over time that it lays bare. . . . French has curated a history of China's foreign relations by the light of which current events can be read." --Japan Times
"Fascinating. . . . French combines wide scholarship with the instinct of a dogged reporter. . . . Examines China's interaction with the outside world, and how its emergence from a period of devastating humiliation by the West will change the world order." --The Irish Times
"The most persuasive account I've ever read of how China's history shapes its foreign policy and that of its neighbors today. . . . Subtle and beautifully written. . . . Strongly recommended for policy makers and citizens alike." --Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Center, University of California-San Diego "Howard French very lucidly lays out a guide to thinking about the next stage in China's evolution, and the positive signs and danger signals to be watching for." --James Fallows, author of China Airborne "Brilliant. . . . Disquieting but essential reading." --Nayan Chanda, former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review "A wonderfully well-researched and elegantly written book about what we might call China's 'shape memory.' If you're wondering why this singular country acts as it does, this volume will go a long way to explaining it." --Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Center on US-Relations, Asia Society