China

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THE LAND. THE CITIES,'THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE, THE PRESENT
From the towering majesty of the
Himalayas to the vast jungles of the Southeast, the seemingly endless frozen tundra of Manchuria to the lively streets of Peking, the land of China is virtually a world unto itself—a colossal, teeming nation only recently unveiled to the West.
CHINA: The Land, The Cities, The People, The Culture, The Present,
examines the People's Republic as it stands today, on the threshhold of yet another social revolution. Ten incisive essays include The Great Cities, The Sporting Challenge, Tourism, and The Cultural Mystery. Each definitive article has been written by one of the world's most expert commentators on Chinese affairs-including Time-Life's Richard Bernstein, David Bonavia of The Times of London, and author Nigel Cameron —and vital answers are given that unravel and explain the myriad social, political and cultural pressures and events that... Tovább

Fülszöveg

¦'i f
: il'lj '. f il
. I ¦
¦ ! .si

THE LAND. THE CITIES,'THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE, THE PRESENT
From the towering majesty of the
Himalayas to the vast jungles of the Southeast, the seemingly endless frozen tundra of Manchuria to the lively streets of Peking, the land of China is virtually a world unto itself—a colossal, teeming nation only recently unveiled to the West.
CHINA: The Land, The Cities, The People, The Culture, The Present,
examines the People's Republic as it stands today, on the threshhold of yet another social revolution. Ten incisive essays include The Great Cities, The Sporting Challenge, Tourism, and The Cultural Mystery. Each definitive article has been written by one of the world's most expert commentators on Chinese affairs-including Time-Life's Richard Bernstein, David Bonavia of The Times of London, and author Nigel Cameron —and vital answers are given that unravel and explain the myriad social, political and cultural pressures and events that have brought China to its present course.
The full pageantry of Chinese society with the new changes that it is undergoing today, is fabulously illustrated in 350 brilliant color photographs, most of which were shot on assignment by British photographer Nik Wheeler. CHINA reopens the door to a vast, confusing society that has rarely been understood fully by outsiders.
In the days of Marco Polo's 13th century travels, European merchants looked to China as a source of innovation, sophisticated arts, precious silks, teas, gems, and medicines as well as an upper level of social luxury and grandeur that surpassed even their own aristocratic tastes and lifestyles. Yet in the following seven centuries the brooding giant of the Far East became an enigma to westerners, known only through fable and its presence on
charts and maps
Continued on back flap

a
IS, THE PEO^
CULTURE, THE PRESENT
Continiied from front flap
Today, China's presence need not be disputed. Indeed, the groundswell that moved this immense nation not only put China on the map—it allowed her to alter the map. During the past 30 years, since the Communist victory of 1949, and the rise to power of Mao Tse-tung„the world has watched as the foundations of Chinese society have been shaken, dismantled, and rebuilt in what is regarded as the most radical and tumultuous social revolution in the history of mankind. The xenophobia and tremendous social discipline it took to guide nearly one billion people toward the Maoist dream of power and prosperity through self sufficiency was seen as a fanatic threat to world peace.
In the wake of Mao's death, even his most radical, innovative and idealistic policies are under demolition as the Chinese monolith moves on yet another bewildering disturbing course —her United Nations membership, open rapprochement with the rest of the world, and her growing involvement with once-scorned capitalism as a means of achieving modernization and material, technological, and military parity with the West by the end of this century. Vissza