China’s Reform in the Eyes of Chinese Political Elite

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As one of the most influential China watchers, David Lampton specializes in Chinese leadership study. This book is another masterpiece of his scholarly work on Chinese political elite. Based on 558 personal interviews and conversations with political, military, and academic leaders from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan over a course of more than four decades, Lampton gives us a fresh insider look—through interviewees’ own assessments and personal accounts—of the mind-set of many political elites and helps to humanize China’s reform era starting from Deng Xiaoping. He incorporates these interviews and conversations into his own interpretation of the political development in China, and as a result, the book is not merely a compilation of these dialogues. Instead, he illustrates the changes and continuities mostly through his own lens of observations. His effort benefits greatly through the qualitative opinion research and reinterpreting the perceptions and views Chinese top leaders held over reforms and critical issues facing China. As a living witness of the dynamic changes taking place in China since the 1970s, the author sets out his goal to ‘‘humanize China’s extraordinary course of development’’ through revealing the frustrations, nightmares, and challenges leaders in China have been facing (pp. 1–3). He has done so gracefully. The time span of the study and the ranks and status of the interviewees are truly remarkable. One has to admire the ability of the author in gaining access to such an impressive list of high-ranking political celebrities, including Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Zhao Ziyang, and Jiang Zemin. The author’s leading academic and administrative roles or affiliations, such as Asia Foundation, National Committee on United States and China Relations, the Nixon Center and the American Enterprise