This is a comprehensively updated account of where China stands today, covering the generational change in the leadership completed in March 2013, the Bo Xilai scandal and the changing course of the world's second largest economy and the last major state ruled by a Communist Party. Named as a book of the year by the Guardian, the Financial Times and Bloombery Business Week, it lays out the reality behind the spectacular statistics and explains why China has to change if it is to maintain its development and avoid major internal problems China's importance as an increasingly significant global force is a phenomenon of our times, but the world's most heavily populated nation has a history of catastrophe and tragedy, tyranny and repression, abject poverty, unfair business practice and corruption - and now faces environmental degradation and a demographic time bomb. In this compelling and lucid account based on years of research and first-hand experience, Jonathan Fenby links together the myriad features of today's China. He delivers a unique and coherent picture of its essence and evolution and contemplates its future - both alone and connected to the world around it. 'A bestselling examination of modern China by an experienced and fluent commentator' - Financial Times

In the decades since the end of the Second World War, it has been widely assumed that the western model of liberal democracy and free trade is the way the world should be governed. However, events in the early years of the twenty-first century – first, the 2003 war with Iraq and its chaotic aftermath and, second, the financial crash of 2008 – have threatened the general acceptance that continued progress under the benign (or sometimes not so benign) gaze of the western powers is the only way forwards. And as America turns inwards and Europe is beset by austerity politics and populist nationalism, the post-war consensus looks less and less secure. But is this really the worst of times? In a forensic examination of the world we now live in, acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh sets out to answer that question. Who could have imagined that China would champion globalization and lead the battle on climate change? Or that post-Soviet Russia might present a greater threat to the world’s stability than ISIS? And while we may be on the cusp of still more dramatic change, perhaps the risks will – in time – bring not only change but a wholly positive transformation. Incisive, robust and always insightful, The Best of Times, The Worst of Times by Michael Burleigh is both a dazzling tour d’horizon of the world as it is today and a surprisingly optimistic vision of the world as it might become.

This book examines the social media experiences of middle class Chinese adolescents. Their enthusiasm for self-expression online, their mediated social relations (guanxi) with family, friends, classmates and colleagues are analysed in the context of China's modernity.

They were the most powerful rulers on earth. The mighty Qin Shi Huangdu (r. 221-210 BC), who began the construction of the Great Wall. The long-lived Han emperor Wudi (r. 141-87 BC), who developed China as a centralized Confucian state. The soldier-scholar Yongle (r. 1402-24 AD), who raised the Ming dynasty to its military peak. The dowager empress Cixi (r. 1861-1908 AD), who rose from humble Manchu origins to rule over all China. In The Dragon Throne, Jonathan Fenby tells the extraordinary story of imperial China through its 157 emperors, from Qin Shi Huangdu, who crushed his rivals to take supreme power as the first emperor in 221BC, until the final collapse of the faltering Manchu dynasty amidst the revolutionary chaos of the early twentieth century. The final emperor, the infant Puyi (r. 1908-12) ended his days as an assistant gardener in the very palace where he had been enthroned.

Language and Comprehension

China has become the powerhouse of the world economy and home to 1 in 5 of the world's population, yet we know almost nothing of the people who lead it. How does one become the leader of the world's newest superpower? And who holds the real power in the Chinese system? In The New Emperors, the noted China expert Kerry Brown journeys deep into the heart of the secretive Communist Party. China's system might have its roots in peasant rebellion but it is now firmly under the control of a power-conscious Beijing elite, almost half of whose members are related directly to former senior Party leaders. Brown reveals the intrigue and scandal surrounding the internal battle raging between two China's: one founded by Mao on Communist principles, and a modern China in which 'to get rich is glorious'. At the centre of it all sits the latest Party Secretary, Xi Jinping - the son of a revolutionary, with links both to big business and to the People's Liberation Army. His rise to power is symbolic of the new emperors leading the world's next superpower.

China has changed dramatically since the first edition of Doing Business in China was published in 2000, but the second, third and now this fourth edition have kept pace with the rapid developments. China is now far more international but the fundamental business culture has not altered greatly. The new edition of this highly successful textbook offers Western and non-Chinese businesspeople a theoretical framework for the understanding of business practices, markets, negotiations, organizations, networks and the Chinese business context. Building on the strengths of the previous editions, the book provides a guide to market entry, managing operations and marketing in this unique social and cultural environment by including: Factors that lead to business success 14 new or revised case studies, including include windfarms, fine wines and new consultancy businesses Discussion of marketing issues, notably products, pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion Dos and don’ts when choosing business partners and negotiating Guides to further resources in local cultures to help businesses tailor their strategies to local conditions. Offering a fresh look at the evolving marketplaces and their interactions with government and the army, the fourth edition of Doing Business in China will continue to be the preferred text for international students of Chinese business and management studies and for practitioners with an eye on China.

This book summarizes and elaborates on my prayers and thought processes behind the destiny -- Heaven on Earth, or Heaven -- that God has intended for humanity all along. While my prayer is for everyone to go to Heaven, or Heaven on Earth, the subject of this book is Heaven on Earth, as evidenced by the past, present, and predictions about the future of Earth. What are my qualifications for making a bold declaration such as this? To be less than modest, I will say that I am honest to a fault, quite ambitious, logical, and I "think big."

The sixth edition of this bestselling book takes students on a journey through the 20th century and provides a clear overview of the key events which have shaped modern world history. Unrivalled in its broad coverage, it: - Surveys international relations and war, from 1900 to the present day - Examines the rise and fall of fascism and communism around the globe - Explores the international affairs of the major superpowers: the USA, Russia/USSR and China - Assesses the experience of decolonization in India, Africa and Latin America - Unpicks global issues, including economic crises and population increase Chapters feature maps, diagrams and end-of-chapter questions to support and reinforce understanding. This new edition has been updated to take account of new scholarship, and provide a more global approach to key chapters in modern world history. Key changes include: - New material on the Second World War, beginning with the outbreak of war between China and Japan, and touches upon Italy's campaigns in East and North Africa and Civil Wars taking place in China, Spain and the Ukraine - Coverage of new historical interpretations of the events that led to the First World War - New chapters on the history of the United States of America - A new chapter on Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Mastering Modern World History is the go-to textbook for secondary school students and undergraduates studying modern world history and international relations, and an ideal companion for anyone with an interest in how the world got into its present state.