How do you write a book like this? The subject is immense. How do you gather together all the information needed to present the coherent picture the author provides? It is an extremely interesting book which I never had any trouble returning to on a daily basis. I usually have difficulty actually finishing a book of this size, because no matter how interesting the subject, I start to tire of too much information about any one thing. This is not the case here.
The horrors the author describes are necessary to allow you to appreciate the emphasis the rulers of China place on "stability". From a Western POV we always have default setting against authoritarian regimes, however, we seldom count the cost of the chaos that develops without some form of structure that can hold a country like China together. I'm enough of a Western Liberal, that I find it difficult to accept the costs associated with "stability" but the book certainly forces you to look at the costs associated with a lack of "stability". ( )

This is an excellent review of modern Chinese history by a British old Chine hand. If it has a flaw, it is that it is an "external" history of China. But on the other hand this makes it more accessible to us westerners because we don't have to know any - or many - background assumptions. The author has a largely conversational writing style, and is detailed without being turgid. The book reads in parts like a horror novel. A theme throughout is that in Chinese history, any period of turmoil, and any period of uncontrolled rule by one man, tend to make life Hell for the average Chinese citizen. Towards the end, Fenby is torn by his hatred of the events in Beijing in 1989, and his abhorence of the effects of disorder in Chinese history. The book leaves off with a pretty level-headed analysis of a country of vast potential that is expanding rapidly yet running fast into the rocks of awkward government structures, a provincial mentality, vast environmental damage, and a severe rural-urban split. A highly recommended read for anyone interested in modern China. ( )