China beyond the Headlines [Paperback]

Timothy B. Weston (Editor), Lionel M. Jensen (Editor, Contributor), Geremie R. Barmé (Contributor), Susan D. Blum (Contributor), Timothy Cheek (Contributor), Jay Dautcher (Contributor), Harriet Evans (Contributor), Howard Goldblatt (Contributor), Tong Lam (Contributor), Timothy Oakes (Contributor), Henry, Jr. Rosemont (Contributor), Vaclav Smil (Contributor), Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom (Contributor), Wei Jingsheng (Contributor), Xiao Qiang (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0847698556 | ISBN-13: 978-0847698554 | Publication Date: March 15, 2000

This unique book takes the reader Obeyond the headlinesO to explore a China few Westerners have seen. The authors argue that the great gap between what specialists understand and the general public believes has led to distorted and potentially dangerous misunderstandings of China. Seeking to bridge that gap, a group of prominent scholars and activists challenge readers to move past the usual images of China presented by the media and to think about the common problems shared by China and the United States. In a morally engaged spirit, they explore such issues as environmental degradation, unemployment, growing inequality, ethnicity, human rights, corruption, and changing images of women to bring to life the fabric of contemporary Chinese life and how it twines around the political consciousness of Americans.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a significant book that does more than bring together a number of apposite and informative papers to provide a comprehensive picture of China at the turn of the century. The volume as a whole engages with and interrogates the environments of information, political representation and policy choice behind the headlines or soundbites, popular perceptions of the 'other' and the role that scholars play in their production and interpretation. In this respect it is a self-reflexive volume of professional interest within and beyond the China field. (China Quarterly )

Scholars and interested lay people who have never lived in China should read this book. So should politicians, journalists and government officials working on China. (The China Journal )

An intriguing discourse that abandons outmoded paradigms and rethinks China from a variety of new perspectives within and without the Chinese polity. . . . The essays make engaging reading for those who wish to probe deeper into the social fabric of everyday life in China. (Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly )

Engaged and engaging. . . . I know of no other text that wrestles so determinedly and effectively with the jingoistic drivel that our press typically dishes out about China. (Kraus, Richard )

About the Author

Timothy B. Weston is associate professor of history, University of Colorado at Boulder. Lionel M. Jensen is associate professor and chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Notre Dame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (March 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847698556
• ISBN-13: 978-0847698554
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China Without Stereotypes, August 16, 2000

By 

David E. Reuther (George Washington University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China beyond the Headlines (Paperback)

Editors Weston and Jensen have set a high goal for themselves, eschew the highly polarized and stereotypical American debate about China and look into what is happening in the last major economy to experience modernization. In their introductory essay they make the point that contact between the US and China has never had the breadth and depth it has now. The exchange of people and ideas is significant. They remind the reader that the Chinese and American societies share a sense of exceptionalism than can be the basis of cooperation and confusion. Wasserstrom underlines the anti-intellectualism of treating China in either/or 'paralying polarities'. Each author in turn discusses some facet of Chinese society, economy, or culture and how it is faring under the stress of modernization. Each essay presents the reader with the realization that China and its new leaders face daunting problems. Whatever China's goals energy needs, environmental degradation, and new identities may be more than speed bumps on the road to modernization. Real problems realistically reviewed is the fulfilled promise of this volume.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go beyond the soundbites, October 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: China beyond the Headlines (Paperback)

This is a significant book that does more than bring together a number of apposite and informative papers to provide a comprehensive picture of China at the turn of the century. The volume as a whole engages with and interrogates the environments of information, political representation and policy choice behind the headlines or soundbites, popular perceptions of the "other" and the role that scholars play in their production and interpretation. In this respect it is a self-reflexive volume of professional interest within and beyond the China field.

--China Quarterly

Scholars and interested lay people who have never lived in China should read this book. So should politicians, journalists and government officials working on China.

--The China Journal