Dragon Rising: An Inside Look At China Today by Jasper Becker (PDF)

Description

No nation on Earth is as newsworthy as 21st-century China—and no book could be timelier than Dragon Rising, as world attention focuses on China’s all-out effort to present itself as a modern world power and on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Becker is the ideal guide to the profound changes within China that are reshaping global economic, diplomatic, and military strategies. He weaves analysis with anecdotes to address today’s pressing uncertainties: How will China cope with pollution, unemployment, and demand for energy? What form will its government take? Can Shanghai’s success with urban capitalism be replicated elsewhere? Each chapter focuses on a specific region and its local issues—minority unrest, poverty, corruption—then places them in the broader context of China society as a whole. Vividly illustrated with photographs that capture the paradox of an ancient culture remaking itself into a dynamic consumer society, Dragon Rising is a wonderfully written, well-rounded, wide-ranging portrait of China’s problems and prospects.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “…reads brilliantly… a must for anyone who wants an informed account of what’s really going on.” —The Times (London) “The photographic images alone make the book worthwhile.” —The Washington Times About the Author Jasper Becker has worked as a foreign correspondent for more than 20 years, 14 of them based in Beijing, and has written four books on the region, including Hungry Ghosts (1996) and The Chinese (2000). Currently working for The Independent (London), he has also contributed features to National Geographic magazine, International Herald Tribune, Asian Wall Street Journal, The Spectator, The New Republic, and Business Week.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐My father will be traveling to China in May for a 3-week trip, to learn more about this fascinating country. I can think of no better book, to prepare him for his travel to Beijing, Shanghai, and the Yangtze River. So, I will be sending him this book immediately.Following up his well-researched and detailed 600-page “The Chinese” with “Dragon Rising,” Becker has given the “China” shelf in the bookstore a book, which it dearly needed. Instead of reading about the Ming Dynasty or Chairman Mao, business travelers and adventure travelers needed a book, which could be easily read in a day, covering the different regions of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Yunnan Province, etc.), an explanation of Deng’s reforms which were responsible for the China economic miracle, and some hard-hitting truth-telling about the human and environmental impact of China’s rush to modernism.On this point, anyone who has read Becker’s “The Chinese” will not be surprised by his honest assessment of this human impact on the Chinese. In the chapter on Beijing, he recounts the developments that led to the Tiananmen Square protests; in the Shanghai chapter, he documents the misery of construction workers building this city of the future and the prostitutes who inhabit it; and in the Pearl River Delta, he puts a face to the cheap labor and goods being sent from China to the rest of the world: the young and petite factory girls recruited from the countryside who live their regulated lives in factory dormitories.Becker’s reportage combines a sense of wonderment and awe about China’s rise with a Dickensian sensibility. Becker is terrific at distilling confusing political developments into a language the average reader can understand. But, he is at best when his journalistic instinct kicks in: traveling the country to interview farmers, entrepreneurs, beggars, prostitutes, local party leaders, labor activists, and prostitutes. In a way, the book is a series of fascinating anecdotes strung from one chapter to another.Finally, I should mention that this is a National Geographic book, so the pictures are tremendously beautiful, even when they focus on the poverty or environmental disasters of the countryside. More of the China books would be much better, if they contained more contemporary pictures!All in all, this is a well-rounded, very readable book.

⭐I broker commercial real estate and teach brokerage concepets to asian companies. This book gave me a look inside to the past 50 years of Chinese history. The current decision makers I work with have had thier judgments based on this recent history. The book will give the reader a surface look only. Sub surface is a moving target.

⭐Exceptional, concise, objectively written account of contemporary China. Becker gives insightful, insider’s perspective to many facets of the political and economic functioning (and non-functioning) of the country. Great photos, clear-headed observations and analysis– excellent use of interviews and description of life “on the ground”. For example, one chapter clearly shows how, why and from where the yellow, furry gloves with the red cuffs appear for sale in WalMarts around the world. Exceptional book– the best, quick look at modern China I’ve seen.

⭐Solid overview of modern China’s social and economic shaping in the past century and especially the past 10-20 years.This is a very readable and accessible book.

⭐Knowing nothing about China, I found this book to be a great and convincingly thorough introduction. It inspired me to immediately purchase and read Becker’s earlier work: “The Chinese”… an equally convincing piece. Both publications are full of well-documented facts and figures that lend support to Becker’s realistic approach to his apparently very familiar subject.

⭐An interesting text, though anything dealing with China becomes dated soon. I would recommend it. It offered many insights. The traveler in China will be particularly engaged.

⭐I haven’t finish reading the book.

⭐satisifed

⭐Jasper Becker has a good insight into life and trends in China. His writing shows a deep understanding of the country. His writing style is easy and relaxed.

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