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Rupert Murdoch's China Adventures: How the World's Most Powerful Media Mogul Lost a Fortune and Found a Wife Paperback – April 9, 2008
Beginning in the mid 80s, Murdoch quickly discovered that gaining media access to China was a whole different ballgame than anywhere else in the world. Unlike in the West, the Chinese Communist leadership didn't need the support of the media to retain power, robbing him of his usual leverage, and their ability to regulate and control business was close to absolute. The Propaganda Department was given a watching brief on Murdoch's activities, and he was kept well away from the upper echelons of power.
But despite the barriers put in his way, Murdoch's News Corp has still had a profound effect, transforming staid Chinese television into a popular entertainment medium and effectively connecting China to the world through the internet. Insider Bruce Dover paints a personal picture of Murdoch at work, with telling anecdotes of the billionaire in his prime, and recounts how he fatefully introduced his boss to Wendi Deng, Murdoch's future wife. This fascinating book is engagingly written and peppered with entertaining tales of the trials and tribulations of an eccentric billionaire and his interactions with the Chinese government.
- Print length264 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTuttle Publishing
- Publication dateApril 9, 2008
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100804839948
- ISBN-13978-0804839945
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"A new biography of Rupert Murdoch just out in Australia and Britain wasn't set to hit these shores until July, but buzz from overseas has U.S. book retailers clamoring for an earlier release. Why all the fuss? Rupert Murdoch's China Adventures: How the World's Most Powerful Media Mogul Lost a Fortune and Found a Wife is an inside look at Murdoch's forays into China-and early courtship of wife Wendi Deng." —Fortune
"The disastrous end to Murdoch's China Adventure is a case study in how not to enter a market as complex as China and, for Murdoch's many detractors, will provide the guilty pleasure of Schadenfreude. [...] It's a good thing for Dover that Murdoch, so he
"A rare insider's account of how the Chinese got the better of a businessman who usually gets what he wants." —Economist
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Product details
- Publisher : Tuttle Publishing; 0 edition (April 9, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 264 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0804839948
- ISBN-13 : 978-0804839945
- Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,658,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,493 in Media & Communications Industry (Books)
- #10,526 in Business Professional's Biographies
- #12,536 in Communication Skills
- Customer Reviews:
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In the Murdoch oeuvre, William Shawcross' biography Murdoch is surely the master work. Dover refers to it no less than than half a dozen times. But Dover's effort is a sterling companion piece though it can surely be read on its own as well.
We get brilliantly reported fly on the wall stuff by the man who was the chief's Biz Dev guy in China from 1992 - 1999. Not only does Dover report on Murdoch's repeated efforts to break open the China market, he's also giving you a very nuanced and informed take on the machinations of the Chinese Politburo.
The best parts are the passages about Wendi Deng. Dover, it turns out, did the initial introductions of the two, circa June 1997 - 'As an introduction, it was pretty straightforward: "Murdoch, this is Wendi Deng. Wendi is working with us in Business Development in China." Wendi...was tall, attractive, intelligent, vivacious and confident, and immediately had the Chief Executive's full attention.' And how! It gets better from there. Great stuff.
Notably, this is not the tale of an executive scorned. Dover's admiration of Murdoch is evident. Murdoch's strong work ethic (that's an understatement), direct manner, lack of airs and uncanny business sense are all noted here.
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and difficulties with the chinese state officials.

