China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights [Paperback]

Minky Worden (Editor), Ladir Van Lohuizen (Photographer), Nicholas Kristof (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2008

With contributions from some of the most well respected and experienced Chinese writers, journalists, and organizers, China’s Great Leap examines the People’s Republic of China as its government and 1.3 billion people prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games. When Beijing first sought the Games, China was still recovering from the upheavals of Maoist rule and adapting to a market revolution. Today, China wants to engage with the outside world—while fully controlling the engagement. How will the new leaders in Beijing manage the Olympic process and the internal and external pressures for reform it creates? China’s Great Leap will illuminate China’s recent history and outline how domestic and international pressures in the context of the Olympics could achieve human rights change. Learn about key areas for human rights reform and how the Olympics could represent a possible great leap forward for the people of China and for the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As media director of Human Rights Watch, MINKY WORDEN monitors crises, wars, human rights abuses, and political developments in more than seventy countries worldwide. From 1992–1998, Worden lived and worked in Hong Kong as an adviser to Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee. Worden is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks Cantonese and German, and is an elected member of the Overseas Press Club's Board of Governors. She is the co-editor of Torture: Does It Make Us Safer? Is It Ever Ok? A Human Rights Perspective.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; Seven Stories Press 1st Ed edition (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583228438
• ISBN-13: 978-1583228432
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As Media Director of Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden works to monitor crises, wars, human rights abuses and political developments around the world.  In the 1990s, Ms. Worden lived and worked in Hong Kong as an adviser to Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee. She has also worked at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, as a speechwriter for the US Attorney General. Ms. Worden is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks Cantonese and German, and is a member of the Overseas Press Club's Board of Governors. She is the co-editor of Torture, and most recently, editor of China's Great Leap: The Beiging Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges (Seven Stories Press). 

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beijing 2008 - Navigating the Politics of Human Rights in China, May 9, 2008

By 

Seth Faison (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights (Paperback)

This is a really smart and readable book that looks at the human rights challenges in China, just as it gears up to host the Olympics in August, 2008. With essays by an all-star list of activists and writers about China, it examines the promises that Beijing made when it won the right to host the games, and intelligently poses the right questions that may prod the Communist leadership into keeping them. I liked Jimmy Lai's piece and his thoughts on 'soft power,' or the ability to influence people through inspiration and moral leadership. I liked other essays that offer some context and background to China's hosting the games, that describe the state of human rights for the religious, for migrant workers, or political optimists. There is so much unintelligible noise about China in the US today, often driven by the fear of those who are frightened that China will 'overtake' us, that a sensible and clear-eyed look at the real situation there is refreshing and welcome. For readers who are curious how to think about the politics surrounding this year's Olympics, this book seems to cover most every angle.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Past, Present, and Future of Human Rights in China, July 30, 2008

By 

K. Selver - See all my reviews
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This review is from: China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights (Paperback)

As China rapidly evolves and works to find its place in the world, China's Great Leap provides a strong background on recent Chinese history as well as possible improvements in human rights that could occur because of the 2008 Olympic Games. The cast of contributors ranges from Pulitzer winners to experts on Chinese law (and even a sportswriter!), making for a surprising set of perspectives. With topics from pre-Olympic promises made by Beijing to Steven Spielberg's withdrawal as the Olympics' creative advisor, the book covers Chinese preparations for the games from all angles. The essay written by Dave Zirin, a sports writer, struck me most. It illuminates human rights abuses in connection with the Olympic Games set by cities such as Berlin, Mexico City, and Atlanta. This is certainly a must-read for anyone interested in China's current evolution and future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's the future for reform in China? Read on., August 14, 2008

By 

K. Ng (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights (Paperback)

For a one-stop-shop of China past, present, and future, look no further than this book. The wide range of issues covered: media freedom and internet censorship; religious freedom and crackdowns by the Chinese government; the global race for the China market; and the complexity of a society with a Communist government and a capitalist economy. The various contributors clearly define their analysis and support their arguments with concise evidence. What I like most about the book is that the authors don't assume too much prior knowledge, making the book easy to read for all, not just China experts.

Will China emerge as the world's dominant power? Will missteps and missed Olympic opportunities set back reform and lead to detrimental effects for ordinary Chinese citizens? Read China's Great Leap for a clear understanding about how and why things in China will change and why some things never will.