This first edition is authored by Lawrence R. Sullivan, Professor Emeritus at Adelphi University and author of several books and articles on China, and Paul Curcio, contributor to several financial news publications. The book begins with a list of abbreviations and acronyms followed by a chronology that starts in 206 B.C.E. and runs through March 2017. The introduction is significantly shorter than what readers of other titles in the various historical dictionaries series have come to expect, but this is because the more-narrow-than-usual focus is on the Chinese economy since 1949. The introduction is divided into parts that include the era of economic reform, starting in 1978, economic problems and issues, and prospects and outlook. Nearly four hundred entries comprise the heart of the book. Entries vary in length. The entry for a complex, important, and broad topic like agriculture covers approximately eleven pages while the four modernizations are covered in one paragraph. The authors make generous use of see and see also references. The book concludes with a glossary, a list of chairmen, general secretaries, premiers, and state chairmen/presidents since 1943, the U.S. ambassadors to China since 1979, and a bibliography separated into sections. China is currently the world's largest exporter and the world's second-largest economy (and growing). It has increased its economic standing in the world; consequently, China's military and political might is also on the upswing. Therefore, this book is an important resource for those wanting to learn more about the economic structure of this prominent nation. Recommended for academic and public libraries.

American Reference Books Annual