Modern China: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

China is a country of huge economic influence, with ambitions to alter the balance of power between East and West. At the same time, many of its citizens live in poverty, while others occupy futuristic cities with advanced surveillance systems.

Modern China: A Very Short Introduction by Rana Mitter offers an integrated picture of Chinese society, culture, economics, politics, and art. The author addresses China’s current international status, examining the country’s growth in political and financial significance in the 21st century. Professor Mitter also investigates China’s changing foreign policy, the events and legacy of COVID era on the country, and the remarkable growth in China’s technological innovation and its implications for the world. Modern China: A Very Short Introduction is a study of both the growing influence of Xi Jinping and of the society and structures that have lead to this position.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School

Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Manchurian Myth: Nationalism, Resistance, and Collaboration in Modern China (2000) and A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World (2004). His book China’s War with Japan, 1937-1945 (2014) won the 2014 Duke of Westminster’s Medal for Military Literature, and was a 2014 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title. His book China’s War with Japan, 1937-45: The Struggle for Survival was named a Book of the Year in the Economist and the Financial Times. He is a presenter for BBC Radio 3’s arts and ideas programme Free Thinking.