The author also never shies away from aspects of society in communist China that might confirm Westerners' worst suspicions, such as the "dazibao" propaganda banners emblazoned everywhere, while at the same time approaching such subjects without the need to demonize, not writing for that reason.įor a taste of what an open-minded reader willing to learn can expect, a random pick: As bad luck would have it, at the same time much of China was struck by terrible floods, then a 100-year drought."īrown covers areas you'd have little idea could be such a rip-roaring read, such as corruption in the People's Liberation Army, and Xi's response. There are bombshells: China was totally shut out from the world economy and commerce, but during the Great Leap Forward production numbers "exceeded the best years of the USSR, Great Britain, USA, Germany, and Japan during their industrial expansions before China's. What was China like before the communists took over? How much is this China a continuation of its long history? Does China have laws to combat foreign subversion? How is protest looked upon? How are minority groups in China treated, really? And much more. What does the Chinese constitution say? How does the Chinese system actually work? What about unions in China? Who is Xi, really? Is democracy involved? Is this communism? Is what I think I know about The Great Leap Forward correct? Ditto The Cultural Revolution. Brown ticks all the boxes for a Western reader on China while, at the same time, his witty and forthright character shines through as you learn:
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