Understanding China: A Guide to China's Culture, Economy, and Political Structure [Hardcover]

John Bryan Starr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1997

In this succinct, modest, and refreshingly clearheaded book, John Bryan Starr introduces to the uninitiated reader the background, the basic data, and the issues at stake in China's present, crisis-ridden present situation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Without question, the 21st century will include an increase China's global importance--a situation that is sometimes ground for optimism, sometimes fear. Despite the recent growth of interest in the region, China's political and economic nuances remain widely misunderstood. Those seeking to grasp the complexities of modern-day China will find much to admire in Understanding China, a remarkably concise, fact-filled, and fair-minded survey by Yale professor John Bryan Starr. Written for a general audience, Understanding China fills in historical context while evaluating the major issues facing the People's Republic today, from environmental degradation to exploding population growth. Bryan's conclusion: China's problems are too intractable to support the current political system for much longer. And despite the free-market accommodations of the Deng era, it's not democracy he envisions as China's most likely fate, but rather a political future controlled largely by the People's Liberation Army. It's a grim forecast, but one ably supported by the book's data and statistics.

From School Library Journal

YA?A marvelous resource for learning about China. Originally a series of lectures, the book covers the entire spectrum of that vast and sometimes enigmatic land. Starr writes, for instance, about how the Communist party and the armed forces actually work in relation to the government and vice versa, rural and urban social ills, population control, unemployment, corruption, inflation, intellectual freedom, foreign relations, pollution, and more. The culture is examined from the Chinese point of view, and is often contrasted with American culture, all done in an evenhanded way. Additionally, the statistics cited are compared with data from the U.S. in order to give a point of reference. Chinese history, as it affects current outlooks and practices, is interspersed throughout. Each logically organized chapter treats a separate topic. Although there is some repetition of concepts and data, the book will still be useful for research. This succinct and easy-to-read title removes much of the puzzlement with which many Americans regard China and the Chinese. The chapter on human-rights practices alone is sure to spark lively discussion in history, government, and American culture classes. A lucid examination of Chinese character, practices, and problems.?Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1 edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809094886
• ISBN-13: 978-0809094882
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual structural approach to China studies, July 23, 2000

By 

TG Smith "tgs" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding China: A Guide to China's Culture, Economy, and Political Structure (Hardcover)

This book is considered an introductory overview to China. Well, I have a master's degree in East Asian studies and I still found this book enlightening. The book does an excellent job at explaining China's societal and political structures and how those structures effect the state's decisions and policies. In doing so, the author does not get much into the culture and history of the nation. In this way the book is unusual and, dare I say, unique. To some, the book may seem rather mechanical, but its structural approach serves to reduce bias and prejudice. Too many books purport to explain the entire Chinese nation culturally, but the country is simply too heterogeneous for that approach to be very effective. Other books define China as a slave to its history, but history is just one of many variables. That is why I appreciate the rather mechanical approach this book takes to explaining China's politics and society. That said, however, it might serve the newcomer to Sinology well to read other texts on Chinese culture and history as a primer to this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and balanced account, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding China: A Guide to China's Culture, Economy, and Political Structure (Hardcover)

Mr. Starr does a good job of covering the economics, politics, and geography of China. It is a great introduction to this developing country. Having recently spent a year in China as a teacher, I agree with most of Starr's findings. Starr demonstrates how China's economy is rapidly growing, but perhaps not fast enough to head off future problems such as food production.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overall Picture of China Today, February 19, 1998

By 

Writer/Reader "Virginia" (Warminster PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Understanding China: A Guide to China's Culture, Economy, and Political Structure (Hardcover)

"Understanding China" ties together China's geography, recent history, its relationship to Taiwan and Hong Kong, its diversified population, and more, in a way which is easily comprehensible to any reader. What's more, it is thoroughly enjoyable.