China: Two Decades of Reform and Change

by Wang Gungwu (Editor)

Since the start of reform two decades ago, China's economy has experienced spectacular growth. Today China has grown to be the world's seventh largest economy -- or the world's second largest after the USA in terms of purchasing power parity. China's society and its political landscape have also been radically changed.This volume serves as a convenient handbook for both scholars and laymen to have a good overview of China's major developments and transformations in the political, economic, legal and social spheres since 1978. Such a review will be useful for appreciating the enormous problems that will challenge China in its next phase of transition.All in all, China has undoubtedly made impressive progress in most areas of reform in the past; but its remaining reform endeavour and future obstacles it has to face can be even more daunting.

180 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Wang Gungwu is an academic who has studied and written about the Chinese diaspora, although he has objected to the use of the word diaspora to describe the migration of Chinese from China, because it is inaccurate and has been used to perpetuate fears of a "Chinese threat". He was born in Surabaya, Indonesia, and grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia. He completed his secondary education in Anderson School, Ipoh before going to the university.

He studied history in the University of Malaya, Singapore, where he received both his Bachelor and Masters degrees. He holds a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1957) for his thesis on The structure of power in North China during the Five Dynasties. He taught at the University of Malaya (in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) before going to Canberra in 1968 to become Professor of Far Eastern History in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) at Australian National University. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1995. In 2007, Wang became the third person to be named University Professor by the National University of Singapore.