Customer Reviews

Deng Xiaoping and the Making of Modern China: Revised Edition

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This is an excellent account of the numerous ascents and descents that characterized Deng Xiaoping's remarkable political life. Evans is ultimately telling us a story within a story. Deng's political life spanned the bulk of the twentieth century, and it is against this backdrop that Evans tells us his story. He does a fine job of illuminating how Deng spent his time during the Cultural Revolution, as well as informing the reader what the logic behind his reforms was. As a whole, I liked this book very much and would reommend it to anyone interested in learning more about contemporary China. The writing is consistently concise and to the point. This book does not confuse or bore the reader with lofty theoretical arguments that try to prove causation for various events in Chinese history, it lays out the facts as they are known. This book is both captivating and instructional. However, for those who are well read in Chinese history, much of this book will be redundant. Yet, its redeeming qualities are in ample supply.

I enjoyed enormously this book: it doesnt try to sell a myth or an epic and doesnt "side" with Deng. The author is a former diplomat and an "old china hand" and the reader can fully benefit from a deep, thoughtful and unemotional analysis by an insider.
The book is factual, doesnt try to prove any theory and gives you also an excellent overview of the whole Chinese history in this century. I particularly enjoyed the shrewd analysis of all the characters and of their motivations, as you would expect it from the eyes of a professional diplomat gauging his counterparts.