In these high-quality scholarly essays, specialists from various fields investigate the most critical issues that China is facing and making a great effort to deal with. They include China's relationships with the US and other countries, human rights issues, social welfare reform, a sharp rich-poor division, rapidly growing popular culture, emerging consumerism and tourism, rapid urbanization, economic development and environmental protection, intellectuals of different ideologies, the establishment of a modern legal system, ethnic tensions in minority regions, the decriminalization and depathologization of homosexuality, and China's efforts to introduce its language and culture to the world. The in-depth discussions of these issues are based on the most current data and information resources, and they really go beyond the headlines of limited Western media coverage on China. Providing a panoramic view of contemporary China and comprehensive coverage of Chinese economic, political, technological, social, and cultural changes, as well as the influence of these changes on the whole world, this is a must read for all scholars and students of China studies. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries.

Choice Reviews

This is the third volume in the popular series China beyond the Headlines by Rowman & Littlefield. The first volume, China beyond the Headlines, was published in 2000, and the second volume, China’s Transformations: The Stories beyond the Headlines, in 2007. The series has made contributions in two dimensions. First, academically, it helps our understanding of contemporary China. . . . This series has enabled readers to capture the main aspects of a changing China. Second, there is a policy dimension, namely, China’s relations with the West, particularly with the United States. The editors have a specific target, namely, to influence the general public. Therefore, the volume is not only for academic circles, but also for ordinary people who are interested in international affairs. All the chapters in these volumes are easy to read without difficult academic jargon. The continuous publication of the series points to its success. Readers appreciate their great efforts. ... Overall, [this] volume is structured into three levels. At the first level, the editors want to show what changes have happened in China and how they happened. At the second level, they attempt to demonstrate how limited these changes are for China politically, particularly in regards to democratization and human rights progress. . . At the third level, they seek to spell out how such limited changes will affect China’s relations with the outside world, particularly the United States. . . . To a great degree, at all these levels, this volume has achieved its goal.

Pacific Affairs

Getting a fix on Chinese cultural and political shifts has never seemed more urgent. So the appearance of this collection of wide-ranging, informative, and fluidly written essays is not just something to welcome but something to celebrate. I can't wait to bring the book into a classroom and take it for a spin with my students.

Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, University of California, Irvine; author of China's Brave New World-And Other Tales for Global Times

The essays in this book pull off the fine balancing act of giving an ideal introduction to contemporary China while also delving in depth into the most important issues at play today.

Edward Wong, New York Times China correspondent