China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power

This book is not only a perfect example of bravery and perfectionism in journalism; it is also a breathtaking and multi-faceted analysis of China's realities elaborated by two professional journalists.
As a reader interested in the struggle for democracy and transparency in the world, I have had the chance to explore the extreme and intense examples of a country's painful struggle for its future.

I read this book after WILD SWANS and RED AZALEA and a trip to China in June, 1999. It verified everything I read and saw. The facades are still being built for the 50th anniversary celebration. There is still the paranoia about the US. Most particularly, the authors are on target when they say the term "'China expert' is an oxymoron." Any student of China should reread the Hindu story of the blind men and the elephant. All writings on China have some accuracy, all have their errors. I think this book does way better than most. It is highly readable and should be read by anyone considering China a place to travel or to study about.

This is an easy to read book on China that gives some of the insight needed to understand "where" the Chinese "come from" and how they are making steps into the future. I found that I want to read this book again, and again, certain that I will get even more understanding of the culture-past and the culture-future that is taking shape in that continent. These two exceptional authors write with insight and clear descriptions of their personal experiences. And their interpretation of the events they experienced are very informative.

The book was unique with the couple writing alternate chapters that give 2 views each, from a Caucasian and a third generation Chinese. This made a startling difference from other books. That perhaps was what made it such a riveting read, making it difficult to accuse the author of being biased. The contents painful for me to see the many wrong doings of people of my race, as well as the many innocent people who suffered for the wrong causes. Shattered idealism is perhaps the paramount reason for such a crumbling dynasty. The authors were a bit harsh with references to the system in certain parts but the depth of discussion balances in views made the book focused and objective. China's history is fascinating and endless. Reading the book without prior knowledge about China's history long before this modern era may do injustice to the Chinese people and their leaders. I loved the analysis and discussion, along with some strong insightful comments made by the very knowlegable authors. Nonetheless, people should not use this reportage to quickly make assumptions about China because every country, no matter how big, powerful and advanced, has skeletons in their closets.

Modern China is an immensely complicated subject, but of the half dozen books I've read on it, this is by far the best at giving you a feeling and understanding of what China is today and why. While it does not capture all the international political, economic, and strategic issues related to China, it gives you some cultural insight into the country that would only come if you lived there yourself.

For those new to China, it's a great place to start. For those who already know China from afar, it lets you see what's happening inside and helps explain what you've seen from the outside. For this American aerospace engineering graduate student, it was both depressing and inspiring, but most of all, it was enlightening.