The success or failure of China's development will impact not only its own citizens but also those of the world. China is widely recognized as a global actor on the world stage and no global challenge can be resolved without its participation. It is important to understand how the country is ruled and what its policy priorities are. Can China move to a more market-based economy, while controlling environmental degradation? Can it integrate hundreds of millions of new migrants into the urban landscape? The tensions between communist and capitalist identities continue to divide society as China searches for a path to modernization.
In this revised fifth edition and essential guide to the subject, Tony Saich delivers a thorough introduction to all aspects of politics and governance in post-Mao China, taking full account of the changes of the 20th Party Congress and the 13th National People's Congress as well as the situation in Hong Kong and current debates in Chinese society.

Tony Saich is Daewoo Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA.

Preface to the Fifth edition
Introduction: A Rising China
1. A Diverse or Homogenous Nation?
2. China's Changing Road to Development: 1949-2012
3. Creating the China Dream: 2012-Present
4. From Revolutionary to Ruling: The Chinese Communist Party
5. Fragmentary or Unitary Rule: The Role of the Central State Apparatus
6. The Mountains are High and the Emperor is Far Away: Governance Beyond the Center
7. State-Society Relations
8. From the Countryside to the City
9. State Socialism or State Capitalism: the Chinese Economy
10. Social Policy: Inclusive or Exclusive
11. How Does China See the World?
12. Whither China