Becoming China - The Story Behind the State

For the first time, a book that tells you why China thinks and acts the way it does. Becoming China is an account of China's past and present, how a small group of people at the edges of the Yellow River evolved to become the state of China today.

Becoming China is an account of China's past and present, how a small group of people at the edges of the Yellow River evolved to become the state of China today.One of the two most powerful states in the world, China continues to be seen as a mystery even after decades of an open door. How does China work, what does it want, why does it want it, and what does its rise to global power mean for the rest of the world? As the twenty-first century looks set to be the stage for a battle about competing geopolitical ideals, these are urgent questions for everyone with an interest in what the future might bring. Epic in scope, this is the story of how China became the state it is today and how its worldview is based on what has gone before. Weaving together inspirations, ideas, wars and dreams to reveal the heart of what it means to be Chinese and how the past impacts on the present.Despite decades of a relatively open door relationship with the rest of the world, China is still a myst ery to many outside it. A world of its own, China is both a microcosm and an amplification of questions and events in the wider world. China's story offers us an opportunity to hold a mirror to ourselves: to our own assumptions, to our values, and to our ideas about the most important question of all: what it means to be human in the world of the state.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Leaders and DynastiesThe People's Republic of ChinaPrefaceAuthor's Note,A Note on the Chinese Language and Voices,List of MapsList of Illustrations Book I: From the Beginning Part 1: A Heavenly Empire Chapter 1: The Mists of Time Chapter 2: A Heavenly People Chapter 3: Heaven on Earth? Chapter 4: A Single Heart Part 2: Dreams Chapter 1: One Heaven, One Earth Chapter 2: A Bright Idea Chapter 3: This World and Beyond, Part 3: Whose Heaven? Chapter 1: Someone Else's Sky Chapter 2: Rivers of Fortune Chapter 3: Imagine a People Book II: Twentieth Century Ideas Part 4: Up in the City Chapter 1: Midnight Chapter 2: A Brave New World Chapter 3: Thinking Again Part 5: Down in the Countryside Chapter 1: Snow in Summer Chapter 2: Leaping Ahead Chapter 3: Winds, and More Winds Part 6: Great Man Chapter 1: Full Speed Ahead Chapter 2: Nature's Trails Chapter 3: The Edges of Order Book III: What Came Next Part 7: How Many Suns? Chapter 1: The Heavenly Party Chapter 2: Earth Below Chapter 3: Being Chinese Conclusion: Becoming China Key Sources and Further Reading: A Short Bibliographic Note Index