China's Leaders

David Shambaugh has been studying Chinese politics for over forty years. In this new book, he offers readers a commanding and authoritative study of the five leaders who have done most to shape the People's Republic of China since its founding. A significant and important book from one of modern China's leading analysts. Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute and Professor of Chinese Studies, King's College London, and author of The World According to Xi An authoritative and highly informative introduction to the major political leaders of contemporary China. Michael Dillon, Professor of History, Affiliate of the Lau China Centre, King's College, London David Shambaugh is a seasoned observer and scholar of Chinese politics who masterfully helps us understand the forces that have driven China's leaders over seven decades. In this deeply researched study, he assembles an engrossing mosaic of profiles that brings to life the very different men who have led China over the past decades. Orville Schell, Director of the Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society, and author of My Old Home A fascinating look at China's evolution since 1949 through the eyes and actions of the country's top leaders: Mao, Deng, Jiang, Hu, and Xi. Fresh, fun, and insightful. Shambaugh has written a must-read book for understanding contemporary China. Elizabeth C. Economy, Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution and Council on Foreign Relations, and author of The Third Revolution In this fresh look at the interplay of cultural, psychological, and systemic factors shaping top Chinese leaders, Shambaugh explores how the idiosyncrasies of PRC rulers have intersected with broader changes in state behavior. Displaying extraordinary precision and perception, this book will long serve as a classic in leadership studies. Cheng Li, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, The Brookings Institution, and author of Chinese Politics in the Xi Era A highly regarded and experienced specialist in the study of Chinese elite politics, Shambaugh is in his element delineating the overlaps and divergences in the leadership styles of Mao and four of his successors. Jeffrey Wassertrom, University of California-Irvine David Shambaugh is widely regarded as one of the world's most astute analysts of Chinese politics, and his lucid study pays particular attention to the personalities of the five top leaders who have shaped China since the communist revolution of 1949. Rana Mitter, The Guardian colourful and accessible The Telegraph a superb overview of the Chinese Communist Party's seven-decade rule through profiles of five main leaders Bookish Asia