This book is unique in its depth of perspective. It uses a comparative approach to explain why China's role in the world economy has changed so dramatically in the last thousand years. It concludes that China is likely to resume its natural role as the world's largest economy by the year 2015, thus regaining the position it had held until 1890. Except for Appendix A, this edition has been revised and updated and Chapter 4 is completely new. The study...