Chasing the Chinese Dream: Four Decades of Following China’s War on Poverty

by William N. Brown

This open access book explores the historical, cultural and philosophical contexts that have made anti-poverty the core of Chinese society since Liberation in 1949, and why poverty alleviation measures evolved from the simplistic aid of the 1950s to Xi Jinping’s precision poverty alleviation and its goal of eliminating absolute poverty by 2020. The book also addresses the implications of China’s experience for other developing nations tackling not only poverty but such issues as pandemics, rampant urbanization and desertification exacerbated by global warming. The first of three parts draws upon interviews of rural and urban Chinese from diverse backgrounds and local and national leaders. These interviews, conducted in even the remotest areas of the country, offer candid insights into the challenges that have forced China to continually evolve its programs to resolve even the most intractable cases of poverty. The second part explores the historic, cultural and philosophical roots of old China’s meritocratic government and how its ancient Chinese ethics have led to modern Chinese socialism’s stance that “poverty amidst plenty is immoral”. Dr. Huang Chengwei, one of China’s foremost anti-poverty experts, explains the challenges faced at each stage as China’s anti-poverty measures evolved over 70 years to emphasize “enablement” over “aid” and to foster bottom-up initiative and entrepreneurialism, culminating in Xi Jinping’s precision poverty alleviation. The book also addresses why national economic development alone cannot reduce poverty; poverty alleviation programs must be people-centered, with measurable and accountable practices that reach even to household level, which China has done with its “First Secretary” program. The third part explores the potential for adopting China’s practices in other nations, including the potential for replicating China’s successes in developing countries through such measures as the Belt and Road Initiative. This book also addresses prevalent misperceptions about China’s growing global presence and why other developing nations must address historic, systemic causes of poverty and inequity before they can undertake sustainable poverty alleviation measures of their own.

Genres: China

247 pages, Hardcover

Published June 2, 2021

Reviews

[celestine · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Brown is an MBA who teaches entrepreneurship in China. As such, the way he relates his story is of limited use to Marxists. Nonetheless, he sees what China is doing to alleviate poverty and lift up their masses and fully supports them. In this way, he is like the national bourgeoisie that the PRC has more or less always accommodated. You can be a silly capitalist type as long as you don’t get in the way of the Marxist master plan. Regardless of that, this book is worth a read for anyone looking to gain insight into modern China. The book is a series of short travelogue/interview articles, where Brown visits various places that have been lifted out of extreme poverty since he’s been living there in the past thirty years. He recalls the conditions as he saw them in the early 90s, then marvels at the conditions of some of the most remote rural places of China now. He argues that China practices a “Confucian capitalism” but he’s no theorist. He quotes Western classical philosophical figures throughout but that’s it. He kind of knows who he’s writing for, though. This is a book written for the most skeptical, most capitalist-minded people he can think of. And as a teacher of business himself, he relates the extraordinary progress he sees in China in this way. But, looking beyond his text, the subtext for a Marxist will be clear. There is some serious socialist construction going on in China.

[Chet]

Upon finish this book on the 4th of July I'll just share this quote that was shared in the book, which was taken from a Chinese governor's toast to visiting Americans on the 4th of July, 1891:

"It needs no prophetic gift to know that the 20th century will see at the forefront of the nations of the world, – China in the East and America in the West. Well may we pray that, for the welfare of humanity, their purposes will be as peaceful and upright as today." Amen.

[João Nunes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird book, I was hoping for something more technical along the lines of "Xi Jin Ping: Up And Out Of Poverty" where the government poverty alleviation programs are shared from the form until the materialization.
But no, this is like an (understandable) fairytale about the miracles that came after the "reform and opening up". These tales are about real people, most of them being millionaires that became millionaires following the Dengist thesis of "let some become rich first".
The book is divided into many chapters, some with stories about people who believed in Deng's policies and became millionaires. Whoever these millionaires are different from others, these millionaires in some "magical way" care for their place and their people, and through their money and enterprises helped the CCP tackle the poverty problem.
Before I continue writing about the "magical" sense of morals and community of these millionaires, I must say that some chapters also tell us the story of party officials undergoing very harsh conditions year after year to achieve the goals they set in the first place in the poorest areas of China (Tibet and Yunnan for example), and that is awe-inspiring.
But I need to go back to the chapters about the millionaires, the book depicts these tales as if the reform and opening up was an immaculate period and the only period that matters for the issue of poverty alleviation. This period is told as if China's GDP and economic growth are what they are today mainly because of these millionaires who had this magical sense of "Confucian" charity.
According to this book, during the "Reform and Opening Up" dream, there were never Chinese workers working 15 hours a day for foreign enterprises, thousands and thousands who committed suicide because they couldn't stand it anymore, and thousands and thousands that went to Tiananmen Square because of the unbearable inflation (yes, this is the true story, most of the Tiananmen Square Protest wasn't about pro-western democracy).
Again, according to this book charitable millionaires made China's economy drive with their wild business ideas and love for their country, I consider this last premise to be also true in many cases. Still, it bothers me so much as a pro-Chinese to give these spoils only to the "reform and opening up", if millionaires in China do this for their country is either for 2 reasons: 1) socialist education 2) because you can't be a millionaire in China without giving something to china, meaning: Socialism.
This word is never mentioned throughout the book, even though we're reading an American Professor who teaches an MBA, writing a book about the "Chinese dream" without addressing socialism is almost as miraculous as the charity of the millionaires.
There is only one moment when the author interviews a member of the government who is one of the most knowledgeable about poverty alleviation programs - you read "Poverty alleviation started way in 1949".
When you finish the bulk of the book those stories about single people who contributed to the fight against poverty in China you start to understand what's going on.
Once upon a time, this person had all the Western biases against China and was militarily deployed to Taiwan, through time his life became centered in China and he changed and became a China lover without much of a critical mind. I see this book as the honest intention of someone trying to tell the world that shouts "CHINA'S BAD", that in fact, China's good. I can't criticize this, when I came to China in 2019, I thought the only good things about China were the Long March, Yan'an, Mao, Zhou, and Zhude.
The latter chapters are a basic explanation about how the world can benefit from China, without much depth.
I appreciate the effort but there's still much work to be done other than teaching capitalism in university Mr.Brown.