In "China After Mao," award-winning historian Frank Dikötter meticulously chronicles China's journey from Mao Zedong's death in 1976 to the eve of Xi Jinping's ascent in 2012. Drawing on previously unseen archives and personal accounts, Dikötter reveals the complex decades of "Reform and Opening Up," detailing the contradictions and seismic shifts that shaped a nation's emergence onto the global stage as a superpower.

Why You Should Read?

• Explore the profound economic and political transformations, including shadow banking and anti-corruption drives, set against persistent poverty.
• Understand the evolution of China's surveillance state, its increasing hostility towards perceived Western interference, and its unique path in a post-industrial era.
• Gain insight into the intricate web of events, from navigating the 2008 financial crash to the development of a sophisticated security apparatus.
• Benefit from a brilliantly researched account, based on municipal archives, unpublished memoirs, and secret diaries, offering a unique perspective on a country in constant flux and crisis.