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alex_rothschilds's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
+1000000000000000 social credit comrade!
Honestly though good for understanding the current Chinese regime and general policies by reading between the lines. There are quite a few repetitive sections, phrases given that they are each individual speeches but you can get a gauge of what their core points are if you read carefully
Honestly though good for understanding the current Chinese regime and general policies by reading between the lines. There are quite a few repetitive sections, phrases given that they are each individual speeches but you can get a gauge of what their core points are if you read carefully
zachcarter's review against another edition
4.0
I chose this book because I wanted a better understanding of how the Communist Party of China relates the ideals of Marxism-Leninism to their present-day governing strategies after Mao, Deng Xiaoping, and others. And that's pretty much exactly what it did. To be fair, this is a book of stitched-together speeches given by Xi Jinping over a few years to different audiences, so there is A LOT of repetition and redundancies. I learned after 100 pages of diligent reading that you can actually just breeze through most of it as long as you're ready to catch the really good parts that are sort of buried in the "fluff." The sections I found most interesting were the ones on social programs (poverty, housing, education, etc), internationalism (in particular with Africa and the Belt and Road Initiative), the explanation of "reform and opening up", and Xi's analysis of the mass line and CPC leadership. So getting through the ~400 iterations of "developing socialism with Chinese characteristics" was totally worth it and presented really well Xi's vision for China and its growing role in the world. I also gained an appreciation for Xi through his mastery of China's 4,000 year history and his optimism that's centered in reality. The only thing that surprised me was that he really has no heat for the United States (or really any capitalist/imperialist nation--one of the only times he uses the term imperialism in the entire book was in an address in Tanzania where he related the imperialist/colonialist histories of China with Tanzania).
benrogerswpg's review against another edition
1.0
An Honest Review Of Actually Reading It
This book could have been about 7x shorter. It was filled with lots of information, but a lot of it was repetitive or arbitrary.
It had some great enough outlooks, but I found them on the side of the "what" but it seemed to lack the "how" - one of the more important pieces.
You can tell the power and vigor in the writing, but it reads fairly simplistic at the same time - perhaps it was the translation.
Not particularly my type of content, but it was what it was.
1.7/5
This book could have been about 7x shorter. It was filled with lots of information, but a lot of it was repetitive or arbitrary.
It had some great enough outlooks, but I found them on the side of the "what" but it seemed to lack the "how" - one of the more important pieces.
You can tell the power and vigor in the writing, but it reads fairly simplistic at the same time - perhaps it was the translation.
Not particularly my type of content, but it was what it was.
1.7/5
andrueb's review against another edition
3.0
This book is probably the last place you'd look to learn about how China "really works". You're reading reflections of China's propaganda machine, just as you would if you read the speeches of any world leader. Nonetheless, this is a great way to begin to understand how Chinese citizens understand themselves and their government. I was obsessed with China for much of this year, and found this to be an interesting addition to more journalistic/objective/economic/historical sources I was exploring at the time.
Xi Jinping comes across as very learned and measured. If you know anything about modern China, it's easy to see him straining to tow the party line and shellac over the most horrific aspects of the CPC's history. It's also impressive that he manages to do this so effectively. Xi is a compelling figure and would shine in any society. He just happens be the one manning the helm of one so wacky as modern China.
The book is exhaustive and, by its nature, repetitive. The edition is actually really beautiful, and I love the communistic simplicity of the design. It is what it is. I got what I wanted out of it.
Xi Jinping comes across as very learned and measured. If you know anything about modern China, it's easy to see him straining to tow the party line and shellac over the most horrific aspects of the CPC's history. It's also impressive that he manages to do this so effectively. Xi is a compelling figure and would shine in any society. He just happens be the one manning the helm of one so wacky as modern China.
The book is exhaustive and, by its nature, repetitive. The edition is actually really beautiful, and I love the communistic simplicity of the design. It is what it is. I got what I wanted out of it.
pberretta's review
4.0
A really good book!!! It's really interesting to read the essays and speeches of Xi Jinping and how they change over time.
carlosmartinez's review
4.0
A bit repetitive in places, and I wouldn't recommend it as a 'general interest' book, but this is pretty much essential for anyone seriously wanting to understand modern China.
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