China Wave, The: Rise Of A Civilizational State

by Weiwei Zhang

Overview

This is a best-seller in China and a geopolitical book for our times. As a leading thinker from China, Zhang Weiwei provides an original, comprehensive and engrossing study on the rise of China and its effective yet controversial model of development, and the book has become a centerpiece of an unfolding debate within China on the nature and future of the world's most populous nation and its possible global impact. China's rise, according to Zhang, is not the rise of an ordinary country, but the rise of a different type of country, a country sui generis, a civilizational state, a new model of development and a new political discourse which indeed questions many of the Western assumptions about democracy, good governance and human rights. The book is as analytical as it is provocative, and should be required reading for everyone concerned with the rise of China and its global implications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938134012
Publisher:	World Century Publishing Corporation
Publication date:	03/22/2012
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Preface to the English Edition ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Not Misreading Oneself 5

1.1 A Fast-Changing World 5

1.2 The Unusual Ascent 12

1.3 Surpassing Japan 14

1.4 The GDP Paradox 19

1.5 To the Top 24

Chapter 2 China's 1 + 1 > 2 29

2.1 The "Quasi-Developed Countries" within China 29

2.2 The Size of China's Middle Class 35

2.3 The "Emerging Economies" within China 39

2.4 Why China's 1 + 1 > 2? 41

Chapter 3 The Rise of a Civilizational State 47

3.1 China's Rocky Path towards a Nation-State 47

3.2 The Rise of a Civilizational State 51

3.3 A New Perspective 67

3.4 Looking at China Afresh 71

Chapter 4 The Rise of a Development Model 83

4.1 Reflections after the Crises 83

4.2 The China Model May Win Out 89

4.3 Shaping the Chinese Standards 105

Chapter 5 The Rise of a New Political Discourse 111

5.1 Political Reform, the Chinese Way 111

5.2 Debating Human Rights 116

5.3 The Rise of a New Political Discourse 125

Chapter 6 The End of the End of History 139

6.1 The Western Model: from India to Eastern Europe 139

6.2 The Western Model: East Asia and Beyond 145

6.3 Debating with Fukuyama: The End of the End of History 152

Index 177

Editorial Reviews

In this slim and compelling treatise (the original of which topped the 2011 Shanghai Bookfair's List of the "most influential new books in China"), Weiwei, a professor of international relations at Fudan University and former interpreter for the late Communist leader Deng Xiaoping, presents his case for how the Chinese economic model is poised to surpass its Western counterparts. Crediting Xiaoping with being "the visionary architect of rise," Weiwei maintains that rather than a nation-state (such as those of Europe), China is "a country sui generis, a civilizational state, a new model…which questions many of the Western assumptions about democracy, good governance and human rights." He points out that nation-states tend to allocate resources to military endeavors (as evidenced by the U.S.'s deployment of troops in the Middle East), whereas a civilizational state takes a philosophical approach to development that combines ancient roots with a modern sensibility, focusing instead on infrastructure improvement. If China should choose to adopt the Western model, he warns, it will soon follow the same downward spiral as the Soviet Union. The author admits that his work is as much a wake-up call to the West as it is to China, and this evenhanded and expertly translated exposition is worth heeding. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

It provides analytical and original interpretations of the Chinese model of economic and political development. Thus, the interesting and easy way in which the book deals with the topic allows anyone interested in the subject to gain a wider and deeper understanding of the Chinese world and its possible global impact on future generations. -- Recent Publications "Recent Publications"

Few scholars from the mainland are as urbane, connected and savvy as Zhang Weiwei The book's central idea is that China is different from other nation states. There is some merit to this. Unlike the politically diffuse civilisations of Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, China has managed to establish political unity over most of its territory. -- South China Morning Post "South China Morning Post"

That book offers a vigorous summary of the 'China model' theory, which holds that China can successfully meld authoritarian government with a capitalist-style economy. (Section titles include 'The China Model May Win Out' and 'Political Reform, the Chinese Way'). It depicts China's rise as the rise of a civilization - something bigger than a nation. -- Didi Kirsten Tatlow "The New York Times:The Risks of Taking China's Helm"

From the Publisher