Publisher's Synopsis
To observe at firsthand the effects of reform on China's economy, polity, and society, John Woodruff traveled extensively from his base in Beijing, visiting key rural, industrial, and cultural centers and talking with representative citizens. His reportage is vivid and anecdotal; his discussion of complex and important issues regarding contemporary China is accessible, comprehensive, and historically accurate. He presents a balanced picture of China, reporting on extraordinary accomplishments as well as the unintended and paradoxical effects of reform.
After placing the Deng Xiaoping era in its historical and political context, Woodruff focuses on specific aspects of reform as they interact in the larger economy and in people's lives. Successive chapters report on agricultural reforms, including the new land allocation system and new marketing opportunities; industrial reforms, including reorganization of the state factories and the emergence of small, privately owned factories; cultural reforms; the changing role of women; economic reforms and the counterclaims of privilege and entrepreneurship; reforms in the universities and the rising expectations of the student generation; and court reforms, including the creation of a legal infrastructure supportive of joint ventures in foreign trade.
