Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
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- Create Date：2022-04-14 06:54:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ezra F. Vogel
- ISBN：0674725867
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Summary
No one in the twentieth century had a greater impact on world history than Deng Xiaoping。 And no scholar is better qualified than Ezra Vogel to disentangle the contradictions embodied in the life and legacy of China's boldest strategist-the pragmatic， disciplined force behind China's radical economic， technological， and social transformation。
Reviews
Vicky
，
w😵w， spent an entire month following this epic profile of Dèng Xiăopíng 邓小平， 33 hours 48 mins， now I see the hardcover and paperback editions are 928 pages。 I should have checked out the physical copy from the library sooner instead of backtracking after finishing the audiobook。 I should have also been googling names/faces to visualize important figures better instead of backtracking to catch up on the wikipedia page for people like Hú Yàobāng 胡耀邦， former general secretary。 I tried the Audible c w😵w， spent an entire month following this epic profile of Dèng Xiăopíng 邓小平， 33 hours 48 mins， now I see the hardcover and paperback editions are 928 pages。 I should have checked out the physical copy from the library sooner instead of backtracking after finishing the audiobook。 I should have also been googling names/faces to visualize important figures better instead of backtracking to catch up on the wikipedia page for people like Hú Yàobāng 胡耀邦， former general secretary。 I tried the Audible clips feature for the first time to save some disorganized notable moments that were mainly either motivational （time management， morning routines， etc） or hilarious （comb + watch bittersweet gift story， reappearance of a spittoon at least 3x）。 NOT the key takeaways， but， still processing。Clips20。 Beijing Spring， April 15-May 17， 1989 / 28:17:30sam。 2 avr。 | 07:47:29 Check out yellow River documentary 18。 The Military: Preparing for Modernization / 25:18:28jeu。 31 mars | 08:35:10 Mentioning Go board game again， few seconds before 18。 The Military: Preparing for Modernization / 25:17:04jeu。 31 mars | 08:33:52 Wow， using the border skirmishes to train the Chinese troops against trained vietnamese ones！ 14。 Experiments in Guangdong and Fujian， 1979-1984 / 19:08:07mar。 22 mars | 09:17:35 Not being stupid to work too hard when you’re being paid so poorly 14。 Experiments in Guangdong and Fujian， 1979-1984 / 19:07:22mar。 22 mars | 09:16:51 A few secs before， wow at learning accounting and pricing from scratch 14。 Experiments in Guangdong and Fujian， 1979-1984 / 18:24:44sam。 19 mars | 14:07:36 Xi Jinping’s dad 14。 Experiments in Guangdong and Fujian， 1979-1984 / 18:23:41sam。 19 mars | 14:06:47 Whoa had to backtrack to rehear what I thought was Xi Jinping’s name but in fact， it was his dad！ 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 18:14:02sam。 19 mars | 13:53:05 Use aphorisms to explain policy。 Cat Theory。 It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white。 It matters if it catches the mouse。 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 18:08:56sam。 19 mars | 13:47:48 Losing your chance to strike in battle because you’re too careful trying to feel prepared 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 18:08:35sam。 19 mars | 13:47:27 Move heavy things as if they were light instead of moving light things as if they were heavy 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 17:38:48sam。 19 mars | 13:17:06 Long term strategies and concentrating on what would have the most impact 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 17:38:24sam。 19 mars | 13:16:44 Deng’s morning routine with newspapers and a brisk walk 13。 Deng's Art of Governing / 17:36:11sam。 19 mars | 13:14:37 Preferring to read meeting recaps， written/text 12。 Launching the Deng Administration， 1979-1980 / 17:00:12sam。 19 mars | 12:38:05 Efficient administration: re: the purpose of MEETINGS 11。 Opening to the United States， 1978-1979 / 15:46:49ven。 18 mars | 18:03:30 LOL veal multiple days in a row 11。 Opening to the United States， 1978-1979 / 15:45:59ven。 18 mars | 16:45:19 The spittoon again！ Lol！ 9。 The Soviet-Vietnamese Threat， 1978-1979 / 13:30:45ven。 18 mars | 07:04:05 LOL the comb and the watch gift story 9。 The Soviet-Vietnamese Threat， 1978-1979 / 13:07:48jeu。 17 mars | 07:50:11 Wow， a few secs before， “To avoid war， one must prepare for war。” 4。 Looking Forward Under Mao， 1975 / 06:06:04sam。 12 mars | 06:51:57 What is « cass »？ 4。 Looking Forward Under Mao， 1975 / 05:56:33ven。 11 mars | 21:53:19 。。。more
Maryam
，
دنگ بدون شک یکی از تاثیرگذارترین شخصیت‌های چینِ کمونیست پس از مرگ مائو بود。 میراث مائو بعد از ۲۷سال حکومت یک کشور فقیر و منزوی، میلیون‌ها کشته و ده‌ها هزار مورد آزار و شکنجه بود。 فوگل به تفصیل روایت می‌کند که چگونه دنگ علی‌رغم مقاومت تندروهای درون حزبی، اصلاحات رو در چندین حوزه ادامه داده از جمله علم و آموزش چون بعد از انقلاب فرهنگی مائو خیلی از روشنفکران و دانشجوها رو به روستا برای کار در مزارع انتقال داد و هیچ نیروی آموزش دیده و‌متخصصی وجود نداشت، دنگ ابتدا دانشجوهای زیادی رو به آمریکا فرستاد دنگ بدون شک یکی از تاثیرگذارترین شخصیت‌های چینِ کمونیست پس از مرگ مائو بود。 میراث مائو بعد از ۲۷سال حکومت یک کشور فقیر و منزوی، میلیون‌ها کشته و ده‌ها هزار مورد آزار و شکنجه بود。 فوگل به تفصیل روایت می‌کند که چگونه دنگ علی‌رغم مقاومت تندروهای درون حزبی، اصلاحات رو در چندین حوزه ادامه داده از جمله علم و آموزش چون بعد از انقلاب فرهنگی مائو خیلی از روشنفکران و دانشجوها رو به روستا برای کار در مزارع انتقال داد و هیچ نیروی آموزش دیده و‌متخصصی وجود نداشت، دنگ ابتدا دانشجوهای زیادی رو به آمریکا فرستاد و بعد شایسته سالاری و تحصیلات دانشگاهی رو الویت قرار داد。 در عرصه روابط بین الملل هم تحول غیرقابل تصوری ایجاد کرد، مثل روابط با دشمنان سرسختی مثل روسیه و ژاپن، تلاش زیاد برای ادغام تایوان که موفق نشد، دستیابی به صلح و ثبات در تبت و ادغام مجدد هنگ کنگ。چین تحت رهبری دنگ واقعاً به جامعه جهانی پیوست و به بخشی فعال از سازمان‌های بین المللی و سیستم تجارت جهانی و مالی شد。 دنگ گام های بلندی در اقتصاد، علم و فناوری، صنعت، کشاورزی، و نظم دادن به ارتش برداشت。 دنگ با اینکه به شدت با رادیکالیسم انقلابی مائو مخالف بود و با تشویق اصلاح‌طلبان سرسخت در حزب مانند هو یائوبانگ و ژائو زیانگ به اصلاحات ادامه داد。 ولی قتل عام اعتراضات دانشجویی میدان تیانانمن در سال ۱۹۸۹ ثابت کرد که دنگ حزب کمونیست رو بهترین نظام برای پیشرفت چین میدونه و هر چیزی که باعث خلل و تهدید حزب بشه رو از بین میبره。در مجموع کتاب با جزییات مفصل نه فقط زندگی دنگ شیائوپینگ بلکه تاریخ کلی چین و شخصیت‌های تاثیرگذاری که کمتر ازشون اسم برده شده رو بررسی میکنه و بهترین انتخاب برای آشنا شدن با تاریخ چین خواهد بود。 。。。more
Jason Friedlander
，
It’s definitely worth reading and has been engaging my mind and thoughts on state building a lot over the past year， though it’s important to take into consideration the reverence the author has towards its main figure。 There’s nothing necessarily wrong with it， but one must always remember that this is an exploration of the life and legacy of Deng Xiao Ping that softens a lot of the primary criticisms against him and his rule。 Nevertheless， it’s still quite a rewarding read and its ambition mus It’s definitely worth reading and has been engaging my mind and thoughts on state building a lot over the past year， though it’s important to take into consideration the reverence the author has towards its main figure。 There’s nothing necessarily wrong with it， but one must always remember that this is an exploration of the life and legacy of Deng Xiao Ping that softens a lot of the primary criticisms against him and his rule。 Nevertheless， it’s still quite a rewarding read and its ambition must be appreciated。 I can’t wait to learn more about the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in future books。 。。。more
Jack Eardley
，
It’s a long read！ The book starts out at a fast pace in Deng’s early life and the Mao years but starts to get into detail after 76 and especially after Mao’s death and the arrest of the Gang of Four。 Deng was clearly an incredibly gifted leader who was able to learn lessons from Japanese businessmen， Soviet Premiers and especially other CCP members。 Crucially he was able to learn from others mistakes and apply lessons to China including: Avoiding criticising Mao as Khrushchev had done to Stalin; It’s a long read！ The book starts out at a fast pace in Deng’s early life and the Mao years but starts to get into detail after 76 and especially after Mao’s death and the arrest of the Gang of Four。 Deng was clearly an incredibly gifted leader who was able to learn lessons from Japanese businessmen， Soviet Premiers and especially other CCP members。 Crucially he was able to learn from others mistakes and apply lessons to China including: Avoiding criticising Mao as Khrushchev had done to Stalin; decentralising agriculture; promoting science and tech and moving away from central economic planning。 There are almost no Chinese politicians before the 90s that made it to the standing committee and were not spat out by the CCP machine， Deng avoided this by using his political power effectively and ultimately by having the best ideas about how to make China work。 What I am still unclear on is exactly what socialism/communism means to Deng。 Maybe nobody really knows。 It seems to me that his insistence that China is still using Marxist-Leninist-Maoist thought even in the 90s is clearly not true and so must just be his way of maintaining the legitimacy of the CCP but perhaps he has a very sophisticated view of what a socialist market economy really means that I couldn’t figure out。I did enjoy reading a lot of this book but it does get bogged down and I’m not sure I always enjoyed the topic based structure in the 80s as chapters often felt like they were either repeating themselves or endlessly teasing content from another chapter in a couple hundred pages。 。。。more
Kang
，
近期上班巴士读物，于居家办公第一天读完。
SatyaAditya B
，
This is a humongous read about the transformation of china from a poor， chaotic peace of land in "Dictator" Mao's era to stable， powerful country in socialist Deng's era。 Every country's fate is decided by its geography but that's not completely true， it's also depends on the leaders of the country。 China in Deng Xiaoping found a leader （not a political leader） who transformed dust in to gold and left a modularised problem set for the future leaders to focus on。 This is a humongous read about the transformation of china from a poor， chaotic peace of land in "Dictator" Mao's era to stable， powerful country in socialist Deng's era。 Every country's fate is decided by its geography but that's not completely true， it's also depends on the leaders of the country。 China in Deng Xiaoping found a leader （not a political leader） who transformed dust in to gold and left a modularised problem set for the future leaders to focus on。 。。。more
Rachel
，
真是好书。一来历史脉络梳理得相当清楚。于我而言那段历史一直是模糊的—— 小时候总觉得读到的肯定都是洗脑文而有所抗拒，如今终于初步扫盲了建国后重大的事件。二是（尽量）不偏不倚。 显然傅高义整体对邓公是褒奖的，但也不惮于揭露负面的地方，而对于西方强烈谴责的例如广场事件，叙述中也尽可能去挖掘前因后果和当权者的无奈之处，同时，叙事方式上，事件描写尽量是不带情感的史实，评论则试图包括对立的观点。三是可读性强，大部头一点不枯燥，如同读小说一般 – 当然，邓公一生的精彩程度也赶得上小说了。听广场段时一阵紧张，有电视剧即视感，加之类似后面”what if”的评论文字简直有排山倒海之美。读下来非常佩服邓公。傅高义说，改革并非邓小平启动，华国锋已启动；邓也不是手持蓝图的设计师，这个时代并没有清晰现成的设计，不如说邓是为转型过程提供全面领导的总经理。确实，邓公不是创始人，但领袖传过来的摊子，内部几次大的路线错误折腾得民不聊生，外部大国封锁和国际共产主义节节溃败，如果没有邓公的力挽狂澜，估计我党也会像苏联东欧那些国家一样散了吧，而百废待兴时刻，邓公从经济、外交、政治、军事，甚至到文化科学改革和宣传策略都颇有建 真是好书。一来历史脉络梳理得相当清楚。于我而言那段历史一直是模糊的—— 小时候总觉得读到的肯定都是洗脑文而有所抗拒，如今终于初步扫盲了建国后重大的事件。二是（尽量）不偏不倚。 显然傅高义整体对邓公是褒奖的，但也不惮于揭露负面的地方，而对于西方强烈谴责的例如广场事件，叙述中也尽可能去挖掘前因后果和当权者的无奈之处，同时，叙事方式上，事件描写尽量是不带情感的史实，评论则试图包括对立的观点。三是可读性强，大部头一点不枯燥，如同读小说一般 – 当然，邓公一生的精彩程度也赶得上小说了。听广场段时一阵紧张，有电视剧即视感，加之类似后面”what if”的评论文字简直有排山倒海之美。读下来非常佩服邓公。傅高义说，改革并非邓小平启动，华国锋已启动；邓也不是手持蓝图的设计师，这个时代并没有清晰现成的设计，不如说邓是为转型过程提供全面领导的总经理。确实，邓公不是创始人，但领袖传过来的摊子，内部几次大的路线错误折腾得民不聊生，外部大国封锁和国际共产主义节节溃败，如果没有邓公的力挽狂澜，估计我党也会像苏联东欧那些国家一样散了吧，而百废待兴时刻，邓公从经济、外交、政治、军事，甚至到文化科学改革和宣传策略都颇有建树 ——这个总经理简直是全能。读完对邓公的感受之一，他是个没有感情负担的人，该妥协就妥协，该狠心就狠心。需要讨好领袖时，对周落井下石话里藏刀；而领袖行将就木时，对同意“文革”是成绩为主的要求直接拒绝。半担心经济跃进半为打击华，站到政见不同的陈云一边，批判自己致力推广的政策。对自己一手培养风雨追随的胡弃之如敝履。广场失控该对平民暴力则暴力。为逼江认同则以南巡直接加以威胁。这让我想起了曾读过的先天性生物性缺乏同理心人的特质 ：容易有魅力、迷人、聪明、有胆识。而情绪是虚假的、暂时的，是为了操纵他人、达到自己目的而表现出来的，能做到社会模仿、假装得真诚，而没有认知的心理负担。研究表示许多美国总统，例如罗斯福、肯尼迪、里根大脑构造都有这样被称为心理变态的特征。初了解时觉得可怕，当然随着对人的认识越深，也不禁好奇，这本质上其实也是所谓“戒掉情绪”，是否反而是该试图达到的状态？感受之二，他真是实干家，在经济改革上完全不在乎教条 ，行动了再说 。在利用资本主义发展中国、面对保守派阻力时，不公开发表改革的支持意见、却支持经济特区/家庭联产承包制试水；不公开批评陈云设定的保守计划、却不限制地方干部加快发展。“不争论，先尝试，见效后再推广” 确实是行之有效的方法，该好好学习。在广场风波后的困难和怀疑时间，他无比正确的认定继续推行改革、不断提高人民的生活水平才是正道和巩固党领导的方式，不惜八十几岁以家庭度假为名行南巡之实，倒逼中央。与之相对的，他清晰的认准底线，坚定的维护党的领导，政治权威上不容挑战。在对领袖、对文革的评价始终以不危及党的形象为前提，在言论自由墙、广场事件后出现失控，行霹雳手段维护党的绝对统治。曾经我也以为我们推行的近乎资本主义，然而渐渐的才明白和欧美的不同 – 在美国，资本真的可以决定一切，譬如说言论自由，实际是资本赞助决定了你每天看到什么信息。而“社会主义市场经济“这词用的极好，我们只是借来市场经济运行机制，而只要决定你的社会地位、思想文化、经济利益的最强力量还是国家还是我党，就还是社会主义，邓公早在当年就看透了并坚决捍卫这一切。读完这本，我接连下单几本党史。其实这样的书对于我们这种接受了不少海外思想的，才是有效的爱党教育。单方面歌颂和掩盖，容易让人产生逆反 – 当然这可能是为大规模全面宣传方便。而披露了即便是全世界声讨的广场事件前后的细节，我反而能够理解当时党的决定。其实，一来不用细想就知道，能管理这么大个国家、实现如此多年的经济增长实属不易，真相肯定是我党有伟大之处；二来就是即便有挣扎和错误，了解的越多、也就越能共情。PS：读完本书的另一大触动是胡的例子，勤勤恳恳、盖棺后党内外也一致赞扬，可是在得知上头决定后虔诚自我批评道歉，换来的不过是晚年被无情鞭挞被骂一无是处 – 果然人的价值还是从自己身上寻，不用理会外人的无理批评。你再怎么好，照样有人可以来PUA。 。。。more
Sheldonliu
，
It took more than a month to read the Hong Kong edition off and on。First of all， one of the strengths of the book is the author's dialectical approach to reference materials。 It is also worth mentioning that most of the references quoted in this book are hard to find today， which is worth reading。After reading this book， the less appropriate evaluation of Comrade Xiaoping is that he has more than enough reform but not enough openness， and that he deserves respect for being ordered to do his best It took more than a month to read the Hong Kong edition off and on。First of all， one of the strengths of the book is the author's dialectical approach to reference materials。 It is also worth mentioning that most of the references quoted in this book are hard to find today， which is worth reading。After reading this book， the less appropriate evaluation of Comrade Xiaoping is that he has more than enough reform but not enough openness， and that he deserves respect for being ordered to do his best in the face of danger。 。。。more
Tom Beck
，
It was an excellent book to learn about China， Past present future。 It was a biography about Deng Xiaoping but it was more a history of China。 Most biographies go into the psychological profile（s）， relationships， sexuality， personal struggles with demons， drugs， enemy。 The book contained none of these themes， maybe because he was a pragmatic man， he was truly dedicated to his country or maybe his personal information was not available。 The detail of how China has been transformed over the 100 ye It was an excellent book to learn about China， Past present future。 It was a biography about Deng Xiaoping but it was more a history of China。 Most biographies go into the psychological profile（s）， relationships， sexuality， personal struggles with demons， drugs， enemy。 The book contained none of these themes， maybe because he was a pragmatic man， he was truly dedicated to his country or maybe his personal information was not available。 The detail of how China has been transformed over the 100 years has helped me understand china a little bit。 I know I have to a lot more to learn。 Learning about Deng Xiaoping is the perfect focal point to understand China because of its transitionary role in China's history from a closed society to an open society thriving in the global economy。 。。。more
Mofei
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没得说 中国现代发展，毛邓少一个人都不行。一个开民智涨自信，一个抗局势定方向。一个董事长，一个总经理。20211011的记录
Aravindh C。
，
Good read on Deng Xiaoping， and a must read to understand modern day China。 The economic development parts were a breeze and felt like competence porn。 Also， I understand Cixin Liu's scifi trilogy， Three Body Problem trilogy more after reading this for some reason， which makes sense considering Liu grew up in Deng era。Some parts， such as on the Tainanment Square massacre， Tibet， Hong Kong， Taiwan， Vietnam war etc felt one sided。 I guess because it's about a Chinese leader， you get to hear their Good read on Deng Xiaoping， and a must read to understand modern day China。 The economic development parts were a breeze and felt like competence porn。 Also， I understand Cixin Liu's scifi trilogy， Three Body Problem trilogy more after reading this for some reason， which makes sense considering Liu grew up in Deng era。Some parts， such as on the Tainanment Square massacre， Tibet， Hong Kong， Taiwan， Vietnam war etc felt one sided。 I guess because it's about a Chinese leader， you get to hear their side of the story more。 Still， they verged on gaslighting。Read this along with The Price of Modi Years by Aakar Patel。。。not a good idea in hindsight， the difference in governance abilities of two leaders were too obvious。 。。。more
Sebastian
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I can't believe I actually read the whole thing cover to cover --- as it is overly long， overly detailed （the author goes on and on， some of the meetings of the Communist Party just don't seem to end）。 It's also the most conventional kind of biography （one male politician say this， another male politician says that）， and drab writing。 To top it off: the book is almost entirely uncritical。 Almost， as the crushing of the protests in June 1989 is not celebrated。 But other than that: Good boy Deng o I can't believe I actually read the whole thing cover to cover --- as it is overly long， overly detailed （the author goes on and on， some of the meetings of the Communist Party just don't seem to end）。 It's also the most conventional kind of biography （one male politician say this， another male politician says that）， and drab writing。 To top it off: the book is almost entirely uncritical。 Almost， as the crushing of the protests in June 1989 is not celebrated。 But other than that: Good boy Deng opens the country， establishes relations with other nations， brings wealth and happiness - it's ultimately a neoliberal manifesto。 Still， I hung in there， as it is， after all， a thrilling story， and I was happy to get more detail on some of the ins and outs in the political leadership。 I recommend this older documentary to go with it， it brings some of the stories to life: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=PJyoX。。。 。。。more
Sky
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A great book。。。not only autobiography of Deng Xiaoping， but also a good record of transformation of China to be merged into modernization of the world
Silvano Paternoster
，
Pros:A detailed historical summary of the life of Deng Xiaoping and the geopolitics in which he lived his adult lifeA must read by anyone who is deeply interested in the topic， and craves all the details Cons This book is definitely well written， but after a few hundred pages of reading details， you wonder why you are wasting this much time on a single book。 This is basically a dictionary of history for。 Avery specific topic。 Will bite you to death and you'll quickly look forward to finish it。 I Pros:A detailed historical summary of the life of Deng Xiaoping and the geopolitics in which he lived his adult lifeA must read by anyone who is deeply interested in the topic， and craves all the details Cons This book is definitely well written， but after a few hundred pages of reading details， you wonder why you are wasting this much time on a single book。 This is basically a dictionary of history for。 Avery specific topic。 Will bite you to death and you'll quickly look forward to finish it。 If you have the commitment to do so as its quite a long book too。 It's a 30 hours investment of dry reading。 Personally haven't finished it as at the end I moved to Wikipedia to finish my understanding of Deng Xiaoping's life in less than half an hour 。。。more
Nicole Keaton
，
It was a very good， extensive work。 Interesting and informative。 The complaint I have is that his perspective is almost wholly from within the Party so I feel like you don’t get a good picture of how his policies shaped individual lives or how his policies were actually carried out in real time。 For instance， we only vaguely found out that corruption was a problem and we never heard about the human rights violations or how his policies effected minority groups。 The way this book almost solely fo It was a very good， extensive work。 Interesting and informative。 The complaint I have is that his perspective is almost wholly from within the Party so I feel like you don’t get a good picture of how his policies shaped individual lives or how his policies were actually carried out in real time。 For instance， we only vaguely found out that corruption was a problem and we never heard about the human rights violations or how his policies effected minority groups。 The way this book almost solely focuses on the “Four Modernizations” we get this idea that Deng’s China was a huge success。 We don’t see very much what was occurring on the ground during his leadership。 Maybe this is all he cares to write about…？ 。。。more
Jonathan Mckay
，
History's Finest Bureaucrat 冷静观察，站稳脚跟，沉着应付，韬光养晦，善于守拙，绝不当头，有所作为 Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership。 Amazing that there isn't more written about Deng， doubly amazing that this serves as the authoritative account both in english *and* in Chinese （see: Chinese Goodreads Link） minus a full retelling of June 4th 1989。 More to come。 History's Finest Bureaucrat 冷静观察，站稳脚跟，沉着应付，韬光养晦，善于守拙，绝不当头，有所作为 Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership。 Amazing that there isn't more written about Deng， doubly amazing that this serves as the authoritative account both in english *and* in Chinese （see: Chinese Goodreads Link） minus a full retelling of June 4th 1989。 More to come。 。。。more
Reza Amiri Praramadhan
，
Of All Chinese communist leaders， I cannot think of someone who was the most responsible for the emergence of People's Republic of China as one of the world's superpowers other than Deng Xiaoping （shove off， Mao！）。 Thrice purged by Mao and thrice survived， this committed communist was unfortunately wise enough to realize the need of economic reform in order for China， and indeed， the Chinese Communist Party to survive。 Once a dedicated follower of Mao Zedong， his loyalty wavered after witnessing Of All Chinese communist leaders， I cannot think of someone who was the most responsible for the emergence of People's Republic of China as one of the world's superpowers other than Deng Xiaoping （shove off， Mao！）。 Thrice purged by Mao and thrice survived， this committed communist was unfortunately wise enough to realize the need of economic reform in order for China， and indeed， the Chinese Communist Party to survive。 Once a dedicated follower of Mao Zedong， his loyalty wavered after witnessing the catastrophic failure of Great Leap Forward （which plunged China backward）。 The resulting Great Famine hardened his commitment to economic modernization rather than political mobilizations touted by Mao。 during Cultural Revolution Deng was labeled as Rightist and Capitalist Roader， but Mao， seeing his usefulness， pulled him out of exile and used him to check the influence of the leftist radicals led by the Gang of Four。After Mao died and the Gang of Four has been ousted， Deng did not a free hand to realize his vision in the beginning， for he had to contend with the cautious conservatives led by Chen Yun， who feared that Deng's economic liberalization would lead to rampant inflation （something that Chen Yun always had to clear up before）， and greater political demand for freedom that could undermined the legitimacy of the communist party， fears that would be proven by Tiananmen Tragedy of 1989， giving the conservatives the upper hand for a while。 However， Chinese leaders commitment to greater economic reformation was reinforced after Deng's political swansong of southern tours， touting the virtues modernization。In this book， we can see that， although Deng was a committed economic reformer， the survival of the Communist Party remained his priority， as exemplified by his non-support of Zhao Ziyang after Tiananmen Crisis， even though Zhao had been one of his greatest supporter in reforming the economy。 Determined to achieve his vision of China's greatness， he could be ruthless to everyone whom he deemed to be obstruction to his goal， the likes of Hua Guofeng （whom I pity the most） and Hu Yaobang， whose unfair treatment and sudden death led to Tiananmen trouble。 Finally， I can say that this book is a must-read for everyone who is interested in China's ascendancy as global giant。 。。。more
Sabil Ali
，
I read this book to understand how china made progress under deng xiaoping。 This book is too much detailed for a casual reader。 There are too many names related to chinese politics which was not at all relevant for me atleast。 That said there were really good parts in the book which will make us understand the stepping stones for chinas success today。 Would not recommend this book may be would interest who is doing research related stuffs。
Mehmet
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Modern Çin’in dünyanın yükselen gücü olduğu gözle görülür bir gerçek。 Çok yakın bir gelecekte dünya ABD hegemonyasından kurtulacak fakat kurtulduğu gibi Çin baskısının altına girecek。 Düne kadar ucuz işgücüyle， kalitesiz ürünlerle yani “çin işi” mallarıyla bilinen Çin’in bu hızlı yükselişinin altında büyük bir emek yatıyor。 Mao’nun ölümüyle başlayan yükseliş iyi düşünülmüş bir stratejinin neticesi ve bu yükselişin mimarı hiç şüphesiz ki Deng Xiaoping。Ezra Vogel’in yazdığı， Mehveç Leliç’inse dili Modern Çin’in dünyanın yükselen gücü olduğu gözle görülür bir gerçek。 Çok yakın bir gelecekte dünya ABD hegemonyasından kurtulacak fakat kurtulduğu gibi Çin baskısının altına girecek。 Düne kadar ucuz işgücüyle， kalitesiz ürünlerle yani “çin işi” mallarıyla bilinen Çin’in bu hızlı yükselişinin altında büyük bir emek yatıyor。 Mao’nun ölümüyle başlayan yükseliş iyi düşünülmüş bir stratejinin neticesi ve bu yükselişin mimarı hiç şüphesiz ki Deng Xiaoping。Ezra Vogel’in yazdığı， Mehveç Leliç’inse dilimize kazandırdığı bu eser 900 sayfaya yaklaşan hacmiyle Çin’in dönüşümünü detaylı bir şekilde incelemiş。 Kitabın adı da Deng Xiaoping ve Çin’in Dönüşümü adını taşıyor。 Xiaoping， Mao döneminin idarecilerinden biri olmakla birlikte çılgın bir diktatör olan Mao’nun deliliklerinden de nasibini almış bir isim。 Defalarca sürgüne yollanıp tenzili rütbeye uğramasına rağmen pes etmemiş ve mücadelesini sürdürmüş。 Mao’nun öldüğünde bıraktığı Çin， insanların 70’li yıllarda açlıktan öldüğü bir enkaz。 Bu enkazı bugünkü konuma getirmekse gerçek bir mucize。Kitap 6 ana bölümden oluşuyor。 Deng’ın Yaşamöyküsü （Deng ismi Dıng diye okunuyormuş）， Deng’ın Zirveye Zorlu Tırmanışı 1969-1977， Deng Dönemi’ni Yaratmak 1978-1980， Deng Dönemi 1978-1989， Deng Dönemindeki Güçlükler 1989-1992 ve Deng’ın Tarihteki Yeri。Kitabı yazan Ezra Vogel’in daha önce Bestseller olmuş Japonya ile ilgili bir kitabı da mevcut。 1973 yılında bir Pekin ziyareti yapan Vogel， Deng’ın adını duyuyor burada。 Fakat Çin’in gelecekte bu liderin tek başına harcadığı çabalarla hızla ilerleyeceğini ne kendisi ne de diğer Batılılar tahmin edebiliyor。Deng Xiaoping ya da Şiaoping 1904 yılında dünyaya gelir。 Doğduğu şehri 16 yaşında terk eder ve buraya bir daha dönmez。 Gençlik yıllarında Fransa ve Sovyetler Birliği’nde geçirdiği birkaç yıl kişisel gelişiminde önemli bir rol oynar。 Üniversite eğitimi almak ister fakat alamaz。 Her zaman üniversite eğitimine çok fazla önem verir。 Tam üniversite eğitimine başlayacakken iç savaş yüzünden ülkesine dönmek zorunda kalır ve mücadeleye başlar。 İç savaş ve sonraki yıllarda önemli görevler alır ülkesinde。 Savaş sırasında askeri görevler alır， sonrasında hem askeri hem idari görevlerde bulunur。 Mao’nun Kültür Devrimi ve İleriye Doğru Büyük Sıçrayış gibi hareketlerini gözlemler ve ülkesine ne kadar zarar verdiğini görür。 Mao， hayal âleminde yaşayan bir karakter olarak ülkesine büyük zararlar vermektedir。 Nitekim bu zararlardan Deng da nasibini alır。 1969 yılında sürgüne gönderilir。 Uzak bir eyaletteki bir fabrikada işçi olarak çalışacaktır。 Birkaç sene boyunca sürgünü devam eder ve bu sırada düşünmek ve ülkesini gözlemlemek için zamanı olur。 Mao onu geri çağırır ve 1973’ten itibaren çeşitli görevlerde kullanmaya başlar。 Bir daha sürgüne gidene kadar Mao’nun eleştirel bakışının altında çaba göstermeye devam eder。Ülkesinin sorunlarını iyi analiz eden Deng， dört alanda modernleşme mottosuyla yola çıkar。 Bu alanlar tarım， sanayi， bilim ve savunmadır。 Uzun vadede bu hedefine ulaşmak için ilk olarak eline alması gereken alan eğitimdir。 Bilimsel gelişme olmazsa hiçbir alanda gelişmenin olmayacağını düşünen Deng， ilk olarak eğitimde reforma yapmaya girişir。 Mao’nun ve Dörtlü Çete adı verilen Mao’nun eşinin de aralarında bulunduğu dört önemli yöneticinin gözü her zaman üzerindedir ve fırsat buldukça önüne engeller koymaktadırlar。 Fakat bu hiç de kolay olmayacaktır。 Bu dört alanla ilgili araştırmalar yapar-yaptırır ve bunları tartışmaya açar。 Görünüşte Mao bu reform hareketlerine ses çıkarmamaktadır fakat Dörtlü Çetenin etkisiyle her an çıkarma ihtimali de vardır。 Mao’ya rağmen Çin için çalışmaya başlayan Deng， Mao’nun kendisini ikinci defa görevden alması ile girişimlerini durdurmak zorunda kalır。 1976 yılında， Mao’nun ölümünden bir süre önce görevden alınan Deng için halk Tiananmen meydanına çıkıp gösteriler yapar。76’nın Eylül’ünde Mao ölür。 Yerine göreve gelen Hua Guofeng hızlı bir tasfiye hareketiyle artık radikal durumda olan Dörtlü Çeteyi tutuklar。 Mao’nun zulmünden bıkmış olan halk bu durumu kutlamalarla karşılar。 Deng’in öyküsünde dikkatimi çeken bir nokta Çin halkının olaylara karşı duyarlı oluşuydu。 Bu durumun sebebi belki de uzun yıllar Mao yönetiminin zorluklarına göğüs germeleri ve bıçağın kemiğe dayanması olabilir。 Çin’in geçmişten gelen böyle bir kültürü var mı bilmiyorum fakat Deng döneminde Çin halkının politikayla çok ilgili olduğu aşikar。 Tiananmen Meydanında 1989 yılında kopan olaylar da bu durumun örneklerinden birisi。1977 yılında Deng göreve döner ve asıl faaliyetlerini bu tarihten sonra başlatır。 Tüm reform çalışmalarıyla birlikte siyasi rakipleriyle de mücadele etmektedir。 1977 yılında Deng’ın 73 yaşında oluşuna dikkat çekmek isterim。“Ona göre bilim dört alanda modernleşmedeki en önemli alandı ve diğer üç alana （sanayi， tarım ve ulusal savunma） yön verecekti。”Bu dört alandan savunmaya çok fazla zaman harcamaz Deng。 Onun için en önemli şey bilimdir。 Çin， dünyanın geri kalanından yirmi yıl geridedir ve ilerlemek için en zeki öğrencilerin seçilip onlara en iyi eğitimin aldırılması gerekmektedir。 Eğitim bakanlığı yetkililerine şunları söyler Deng:“Özgürce ve cesurca çalışmalı ve hep arkanıza bakmak yerine özgürce düşünmelisiniz。”“Verilere dayanarak doğru yolu arayın。”2 Aralık 1978’deki bir konuşasında şöyle diyor Deng: “Temel nokta şudur; geride kaldığımızı， icra syöntemlerimizin uygunsuz olduğunu ve değişmemiz gerektiğini kabul etmeliyiz。”Gerekli sinerjiyi yaratabilmek için sürekli toplantılar düzenler， yeni fikirler ortaya atar。“Konuşmasının yazarlarıyla yaptığı ilk toplantıda Deng yedi tane konu belirlemişti; （1） zihinleri özgürleştirme， （2） parti içinde ve yargı sisteminde demokratik işleyişi teşvik etme， （3） geleceğe kılavuzluk etmesi için geçmişi gözden geçirme， （4） uzun bürokratik süreçlerin üstesinden gelme （5） bazı bölge ve girişimlerin daha önce zenginleşmesine izin verme， （6） verilen sorumluluklara açıklık getirme ve son olarak （7） yeni sorunlarla baş etme。”En çok endişelenilecek şeyin sessizlik olduğunu söyleyen Deng， bu süreçte hata yapmaktan korkulmamasını， bir şeyler başarmak isteyenlerin muhakkak hata yapacağını söyleyerek etrafındaki insanları rahatlatıyor。Tüm bu olumlu havayla birlikte bir de ülkenin reel durumu var。 Ülkenin bir demokrasi kültürü yok。 Demokrasiden bahseden Deng’ın da demokrasiyle ilgili çok bir fikri yok。 En ufak halk hareketinde 1989’da da olduğu gibi demir yumruğu ortaya çıkaran bir yönetici kendisi。 Komünizmin elden gitmemesi için， halkın ayaklanıp iktidarı devirmemesi için elinden gelen tüm önemleri de almaktan geri durmuyor Deng。 Hatta， komünist ülkeler yıkılma sürecine girdikleri zamana Deng’ın duruşu Çin’de de bu türlü bir devrimin yaşanmasının önüne geçiyor。Deng’ın kuvvetli olduğu yönlerden birisi de dış politika。 İçinde bulunduğu durumu iyi okuyan Deng， hızlıca diğer ülkelerle iletişim kurmaya başlıyor。 Sovyetler Birliği ile uzun süredir var olan düşmanlığın ülkesine zarar vermemesi için adımlar atmakla birlikte reform hareketlerinde kendisine yardımcı olacak paydaşlar da arıyor。 Japonya bunların en önemlilerinden birisi。 Japonya’ya seyahat gerçekleştirip farklı insanlar yollayarak Çin reformunda Japonlardan destek alıyor。 Japonya’ya ilk ayak basan Çinli liderin Deng olduğunu da söyleyeyim burada。 Tarih boyunca ilk。Japonya’da çeşitli fabrikalar gezen Üstün Lider Deng， çeşitli özelliklerini uluslararası kamuoyunun da dikkatini çekecek şekilde sergiliyor。 Çin’in modernleşme konusunda ne kadar ciddi olduğunu çeşitli yollarla ifade ederken basının da ilgisini çekiyor。 Bu arada kendisi de merakla etrafı inceliyor。 Komünizmin olmadığı ülkelerde işçi sınıfının ezileceği teorisinin burada çökmüş olduğunu görüyor。 Demek ki başka bir dünya mümkünmüş。 Deng’in en büyük bağlılığı komünizm ama。 Bir yol bulmak için çaba gösterdiği zamanlar boyunca o yolun komünizm içinde olmasına azami dikkat gösteriyor。Deng’ın bir sonraki hedefi Amerika。 Çin’in Amerika ile iletişim kurma isteği karşı tarafta da heyecan yaratıyor。 Fakat dış ilişkilerde Çin’in kırmızı çizgisi o zaman da bugün olduğu gibi Tayvan。 Amerika ile ilişki kurmak için Tayvan’la ilgili şartlarını sunan Deng reddedilince şaşırtıcı bir şekilde bunu kabul ediyor fakat bir şartla: Amerika’ya öğrenci göndermek。 Nasıl olsa Deng’ın önceliği Tayvan’dan öncebilim ve nasıl olsa Amerika’da eğitim görecek olan öğrenciler gün gelecek Tayvan’ı da Çin’le birleştirecekler。Kedi teorisi， Deng’ın sıkça kullandığı bir aforizma: Fare yakaladığı sürece kedinin siyah ya da beyaz renkte olmasının bir önemi yoktur。Kitabın değişik yerlerinde Deng’ın yönetim konusundaki dehasından örnekler veriliyor。 Meraklı， sonuç odaklı， ciddi bir kişilik Deng。 Sorunları analiz ediyor ve hızlıca çözüm yolları üretiyor。 İnsanların Hong Kong’a kaçtığını görünce， örneğin， Hong Kong’a en yakın olan eyaleti üretim merkezi haline getirerek tersine göç başlatıyor。 Bir taşla birden fazla kuş vurmuş oluyor böylelikle。 Hem reformları bir anda gerçekleştirme riskini almak yerine önce kıyıdaki birkaç şehirde denemesini yapmış oluyor hem de Hong Kong’un Çin’e katılması öncesinde olumlu bir hava yaratmış oluyor。 Tarımda da deneyler yaparak sonuca ilerleyen Deng yapılan bu deneysel çalışmalardan ders çıkarıyor。Dünya Bankası-Çin ilişkileri de bahsedilmeye değer。 Deng， Dünya Bankası yetkililerini ülkesine çağırıyor ve ekip Çin ekonomisi ile ilgili üç ciltlik bir yayın hazırlıyor。 Bu yayın hem Deng için aydınlatıcı oluyor hem de Dünya Bankası için。 Bu kurumla yapılan ilk anlaşmayla alınan kredinin yüksek öğrenim için kullanılması da yine Deng’ın bakış açısının bir göstergesi。1984 yılından itibaren Deng “Çin karakteristikleriyle sosyalizm” tanımını kullanmaya başlıyor。 Bu da yeni bir kavram o zaman için。 Tartışmaya girmeksizin iyi bildiklerini uygulamaya devam ediyor。 Milyonlarca öğrenciyi yurt dışına eğitim almaya gönderirken geri dönüp dönmemeleri konusunda endişe duymuyor。 1984 yılında Deng’ın halk desteği zirveye çıkıyor。 1 Ekim Ulusal gününde sokağa çıkan halk “Xiaoping Merhaba” diye bağırmaya başlıyor。 Deng için gurur verici bir durum olmalı。 Fakat politik hayatının sonuna kadar bu desteği alamıyor zira ekonomik reformlar çalkantılı bir dönemi de beraberinde getiriyor。 Özellikle enflasyon Deng’ı en çok yoran konulardan biri oluyor。 ‘89’daki olaylar da Deng için oldukça yıpratıcı。Deng’ın her şeyden elini eteğini çektikten sonra yaptığı geziler de yine memleketi için kritik önem taşıyor。 Kitabın bazı yerlerine not düşmüşüm “Atatürk gibi” diyerek。 Bazı milletler böyledir。 Memleketini çok seven bir lider gelir ve milletinin kaderini değiştirir。 Atatürk gibi vatansever bir insanın gelip de Türkiye’nin kaderini değiştirmesi gibi。 Deng’ın son gezisini Atatürk’ün trenle yaptığı son gezilerine benzettim。“Pek çok insan Tiananmen trajedisi konusunda ne düşünürse düşünsün， Deng’ın 87 yaşında kararlı bir çaba gösterip güney yolculuğuna çıkarak Çin’in hızlı büyüme ve açılım yolunda ilerlemeye devam ettiğinden emin olmak istemesine hayranlık duyuyordu。”“Deng 1978’de Üstün Lider olduğunda Çin’in dış ticaret hacmi 10 milyar dolardan azdı。 30 sene içerisinde 100 katına çıktı。 Çin aynı zamanda ABD’nin birkaç yüz Çinli öğrenciyi değişim programlarına kabul etmesini talep ediyordu。 Deng’ın ölümünden 10 yıl sonra yaklaşık 1。4 milyon Çinli öğrenci yurtdışında eğitim almış， 390 bin kadarı ise Çin’e çoktan dönmüştü。 1992’de Çin küresel entelektüel alışverişlerde ve küresel hisse alım satım sisteminde etkin bir rol oynamaya doğru epeyce yol almıştı。 Deng Üstün Lider olduğu sırada bu alanlardaki temel atılımı yapmayı başarmıştı。”Evet， bazı milletler böyle şanslıdır。 Bir lider çıkarırlar。 O lider memleket sevgisini her türlü sevgiden ve fikirden üstte tutar。 Hayatını milletine vakfeder ve ülkesinin yükselmesi için çaba gösterir。 Şahsi menfaatini ve ailesinin menfaatini düşünmek yerine bütün vatandaşlarını kendi ailesiymiş gibi görür ve onlar için çalışır。 Türk milleti olarak böyle bir lidere sahip olduk fakat ne yazık ki genç denilebilecek bir yaşta daha pek çok şey yapabilecekken onu kaybettik。 Umarım bir gün yeniden böyle bir lider çıkarabilir， dünya arenasındaki bu düşük konumumuzdan çıkar hızlı bir yükselişe geçeriz。 Tıpkı Çin’in başına gelenler gibi。Deng’ın iktidarı eline aldığında açlıktan insanların ölmekte olduğu， dünyanın fakir ülkelerinden biri olan ve koca bir nüfusu beslemekte olan Çin hızlı bir yükselişe geçti。 Deng， ne yapması gerektiğini bilen bir lider olarak ülkenin sorunlarını tek tek tespit etti， bunlarla ilgili çözüm yolları üretti ve doğrudan uygulamaya geçti。 Bunları yaparken yeri geldi ince bir siyaset uyguladı yeri geldi herkesi karşısına aldı。 Yürüdüğü yoldan hiçbir zaman vazgeçmedi。 Çin’in bugünkü zalimce uygulamalarını kabul etmek mümkün değil。 Yıllarca uyguladığı tüm zalimlikler yüzünden başta Uygur Türkleri olmak üzere değişik gruplardan insanlar büyük zararlar gördü ve görüyor。 Kör bir pragmatizm uygulaması ile çevreye verdikleri zararlar da dünyayı geri dönüşü olmayan bir yola soktu。 Benim alkışlarım bunlara değil， yokluktan varlığa bu kadar hızlı ve disiplinli bir yükselişe ve bu yükselişin gerçek mimarı olan Deng Xiaoping’e。 Aynı zamanda alkışlarım bu eserin yayıncısı Modus Kitap’a; Mehveş Leliç’e ve Ezra Vogel’e。 。。。more
Kamran Tahir
，
This is an interesting and detailed book on Deng Xiaoping and his efforts to transform China from a closed socialist country to a country that practiced "socialism with Chinese characteristics"。 Deng spearheaded reforms in China's economic sphere， which he did by gradually opening up the economy to competition。 Most importantly， Deng realized that for any reform to have any meaningful impact， there must be firm political backing and he pushed for political reforms compatible with Chinese system。 This is an interesting and detailed book on Deng Xiaoping and his efforts to transform China from a closed socialist country to a country that practiced "socialism with Chinese characteristics"。 Deng spearheaded reforms in China's economic sphere， which he did by gradually opening up the economy to competition。 Most importantly， Deng realized that for any reform to have any meaningful impact， there must be firm political backing and he pushed for political reforms compatible with Chinese system。What China is today is largely because of reforms and economic opening which were introduced by Hua Goefeng and vigorously pursued by Deng in his years of power。 Deng was purged by Mao thrice， but Mao never expelled Deng from the Chinese Communist Party。 Given that Deng ascended as preeminent leader of China at 72， what he was able to achieve in such a challenging political structure is truly remarkable。 。。。more
ren
，
im named after jiang zemin。 wish i was named after deng xiaoping rn。
Erlend Fleisje
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Reading this book taught me much about Deng X。 and the CCP， and quite a bit about 20th century Chinese history， both with regards to internal affairs and international ones。 Note， the book is lengthy and some parts can be a bit of a slog。 These can often be skipped without you losing the "plot"Some key takeaways:- Deng was older than I thought and active in the CCP from early on。 During that time he built a relationship with Mao that would serve him well。- Deng was not a straight up stereotype " Reading this book taught me much about Deng X。 and the CCP， and quite a bit about 20th century Chinese history， both with regards to internal affairs and international ones。 Note， the book is lengthy and some parts can be a bit of a slog。 These can often be skipped without you losing the "plot"Some key takeaways:- Deng was older than I thought and active in the CCP from early on。 During that time he built a relationship with Mao that would serve him well。- Deng was not a straight up stereotype "reformer" in all domains。 I gather he was not keen on political reform or liberalization-The China-USSR relationship was more fraught than I had been aware。 China also had deep conflicts with the communist Vietnamese gov't。 Nixon in China etc。 follows from these conflicts。 。。。more
Ali Nazifpour
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A very comprehensive biography。 It's very positive toward Deng， but it's certainly not a hagiography and doesn't exclude the dark aspects of Deng's career and nor it pretends that he was a superman who singlehandedly achieved everything。 The book presents him as a great politician and true reformist and visionary who played the most important role in elevating China into a world power， which is most probably the correct view。 Provides lots of context and analysis it isn't a dry chronology。 An ex A very comprehensive biography。 It's very positive toward Deng， but it's certainly not a hagiography and doesn't exclude the dark aspects of Deng's career and nor it pretends that he was a superman who singlehandedly achieved everything。 The book presents him as a great politician and true reformist and visionary who played the most important role in elevating China into a world power， which is most probably the correct view。 Provides lots of context and analysis it isn't a dry chronology。 An example of a first-rate biography。 。。。more
Ben Nguyen
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An exceptional and insightful book on Deng's life。 I thoroughly enjoyed everything Vogel had to say about Deng's rule and I especially appreciated his evaluation of the impact and legacy of Deng's actions on China's future。 I loved it！ An exceptional and insightful book on Deng's life。 I thoroughly enjoyed everything Vogel had to say about Deng's rule and I especially appreciated his evaluation of the impact and legacy of Deng's actions on China's future。 I loved it！ 。。。more
Levy
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This is more than just a biography of a chinese statesman。 It is in fact a history of post-mao china。 Deng Xiaoping might just be one of the most important political figures after the second world war。 A must read for anyone who wants to understand modern china。
Sef
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I've gone through about 128 books in the last 4 years and honestly， this books sits right there within the top 3 for me。 Only came across Mr。 Ezra Vogel recently and learnt that he passed about a year ago。 I will most certainly look out for his other books。 Gone are the days when writers are able to write an unbiased account and let the readers decide for themselves how they feel about a particular subject。 I believe Mr。 Vogel set out to do just that and I think he's achieved it。 Some comments I I've gone through about 128 books in the last 4 years and honestly， this books sits right there within the top 3 for me。 Only came across Mr。 Ezra Vogel recently and learnt that he passed about a year ago。 I will most certainly look out for his other books。 Gone are the days when writers are able to write an unbiased account and let the readers decide for themselves how they feel about a particular subject。 I believe Mr。 Vogel set out to do just that and I think he's achieved it。 Some comments I've read said that Mr。 Vogel painted a rather positive picture of Deng but I didn't feel that way。 I felt it was neutral。 Like most things， time will tell whether Deng sat on the good or the bad side of history。Mr。 Vogel， thank you for your insights！ 。。。more
Modeo
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- This is the first biography book I read that comes from the hands of a historian。 In the past， I've read biographies of figures like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk， but I've found that a historical account of a figure is so much different in that it has a lot more accurate while interesting details。 Historians in their nature like to make comments， analyzing the subjects' doings， and sometimes those comments can be biased。 However， Vogel， although an American scholar who had worked with the US gover - This is the first biography book I read that comes from the hands of a historian。 In the past， I've read biographies of figures like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk， but I've found that a historical account of a figure is so much different in that it has a lot more accurate while interesting details。 Historians in their nature like to make comments， analyzing the subjects' doings， and sometimes those comments can be biased。 However， Vogel， although an American scholar who had worked with the US government in analyzing China and previously sponsored by it， did a fantastic job in analyzing Deng without taking into accounts of the values he might represent。- After reading about Zhao's downfall because of the June 4th protest， I can't help myself comparing his decisions with Deng's during the protest after Zhou's death。 His suggestions to whether China should interfere with Gorbachev's coup， "韬光养晦，决不当头，有所作为，"（avoid the limelight， never take the lead， and try to accomplish something） are reflected upon his personal choices during the chaos and China's politics during its transformation。- I found that the Chinese leaders in the last centuries really made sure themselves learning the lessons of the Soviet Unions， for example never criticizing its major leader， for it will downgrade the government's authority， as a centralized government， different from a democratic one， has only one party to take the blame。- Stability is a major theme of the party's decision making process。 I am interested in the question whether stability serves the economy and hence the people's happiness， or whether the opposite is true。 Or does the question matter at all？ 。。。more
Lenny Isf
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Very thorough and potentially the best piece on Deng you can find right now。
Jiachen Guo
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The extent of research Ezra Vogel has done to produce this book makes it a very credible source to learn about Deng Xiaoping and the China during his time。 It is also very readable and engaging。 I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand modern China。
半岛铁盒的等待
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