The purpose of this concise treatment was never to give a full account of China's great change - crucial for herself and - since she is a fifth of manking - for the world. The aim was to speak to western-educated people (not just those of western origin but many on all continents schooled under colonial influence) - to help them to "shift gears" from what they had been taught as history to things they had not been taught or led to dismiss as marginal.
