James Kynge

This book gives a general overview of the economic reforms taking place in China over the last 30-something years and makes for interesting, if sobering, reading. The author describes the intensive development of the Chinese economy and and how such fast paced growth, on a massive scale, is impacting the rest of the world. China's economies of scale and sheer productivity do make you wonder how any 'developed' country can possibly compete with it in the manufacturing sector.

The raw statistics behind China however are astonishing and I would have liked more of these, possibly in tables in an appendix for ease of access. Some maps would also have been helpful to picture geographically the different regions talked about, instead of having to consult an external source.

These are niggles however. This book is very readable and conveys a lot of information for relatively few pages. The author combines business journalism and statistics with stories about individuals and their lives and careers. This really helps to provide a human context for the bigger picture he is describing. It is also well sourced with what looks to be a good bibliography. Excellent.… (mer)

Describing a country as huge as China is not an easy task, and specially when the country has its own set of contradictions, they have a communist government using capitalist methods to achieve necessary growth and momentum in the economy that keeps the country stable socially. James Kynge has done a wonderful job in describing the country, studying the different contradictions that the China story has to offer and also helps the reader to understand the implications of the rising nation. The narrative is a balanced one,and the fact that the author has spent a major part of his life in China and understands Mandarin, the local language gives an inside peep to the story which a mandarin illiterate guy could not have given.
There are many books written on China, but they delve too deep into the politics and policies of the dragon nation and fail to give its implication in a proper manner, however the author, through the book tries to cover as comprehensively as possible the different meaning and implication of the rising nation.
A must read if you want to understand the country… (mer)