Modern China

The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.

China today is never out of the news: from international finance to human rights controversies, global coverage of its rising international presence, and the Chinese "economic miracle". It seems to be a country of contradictions: a peasant society with some of the world's most futuristic cities, heir to an ancient civilization that is still trying to find a modern identity. This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers the listener an entry to understanding the world's most populous nation, giving an integrated picture of modern Chinese society, culture, economy, politics, and art. 

From kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China has influenced cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics, and philosophy across the world for thousands of years. Chinese history is nothing if not messy. Heroes are also villains; prosperity mingles with violence; cultural vibrancy coexists with censorship and repression. Modern China is seen variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanization, a propaganda state, and an aggressive superpower seeking world domination.

Let’s take a look at the past 120 years of Chinese history, from the country’s start as a backward, struggling empire in the late 19th century to a totalitarian communist superpower.

World War III has begun. And no one is safe. ⭐ “The closest thing to Tom Clancy I’ve read in years.” ⭐ “Chillingly realistic—and impossible to put down.” ⭐ “A nonstop, adrenaline-fueled ride from start to finish.” The first missiles fall without warning. Within hours, the world is at war. Across the Pacific, American and allied forces are shattered—airbases reduced to ash, fleets scattered, defenses overwhelmed. What was once unthinkable becomes reality as the balance of power collapses in a single, devastating blow. Now, the fight to survive begins. Deep beneath the...

Bloomsbury presents Red Dawn Over China by Frank Dikötter, read by Daniel York Loh. A Financial Times and Foreign Policy Most Anticipated Book of 2026 From renowned, prize-winning historian Frank Dikötter, a commanding new history of China’s path to Communism. The history of modern China has...

The Mao Zedong Reader: How to Understand Chinese Ideology to Improve Foreign Policy and Relations with China Edited by Eric Engle For the first time, a comprehensive collection of Mao Zedong's most important writings is available in a single volume. The Mao Zedong Reader is the definitive guide to understanding the ideology that shaped modern China and continues to influence its foreign policy today. With a wide-ranging selection of Mao's writings, from his early revolutionary days to his later years as China's leader, this book provides a nuanced and balanced view of his thought. Dr. Eric ...

A New York Times Notable Book Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) is the most important woman in Chinese history. She ruled China for decades and brought a medieval empire into the modern age. At the age of sixteen, in a nationwide selection for royal consorts, Cixi was chosen as one of the...

Eminent China scholar Elizabeth C. Economy provides an incisive look at the transformative changes underway in China today. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has unleashed a powerful set of political and economic reforms: the centralization of power under Xi himself; the expansion of the Communist Party's role in Chinese political, social, and economic life; and the construction of a virtual wall of regulations to control more closely the exchange of ideas and capital between China and the outside world.

Witness the gripping geopolitical journey from a collapsing imperial dynasty to a formidable modern global superpower. Perfect for an educational commute, this thought-provoking narrative explores ten pivotal moments of crisis, rebellion, and radical transformation. Discover how devastating...

Trace the dramatic history of a fragile imperial dynasty transforming into a modern geopolitical superpower. Perfect for your daily commute or a focused afternoon of lifelong learning, this accessible narrative captures the turbulent evolution of a nation redefining itself. Step beyond dry dates...

An economic downturn has shaken China’s foundations, threatening the grip of its ruling elite. Facing internal unrest and an existential political crisis, Beijing's leaders take a desperate gamble—one that will plunge the world into chaos. Their strategy is bold, methodical, and ruthless: destabilize the United States from within, weaken its alliances, and pave the way for a bold military move to reclaim Taiwan. The first step? Mexico. As cartel violence surges and political instability threatens to engulf America's southern neighbor, few realize that a shadow war is already underway. A...

New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Winner of the 2018 Truman Book Award A gripping narrative of the Truman Administration's response to the fall of Nationalist China and the triumph of Mao Zedong's Communist forces in 1949--an extraordinary political revolution that continues to...

The internationally bestselling author of Who Cooked the Last Supper? presents a wickedly witty and very current history of the extraordinary female rebels, reactionaries, and trailblazers who left their mark on history from the French Revolution up to the present day. Now is the time for a new...

“Realistic and Frightening” • “A Must Read” • “Captivating” Straits of Fire plunges readers into the tense opening act of a new world war. As the next installment in The Eagle & The Dragon Series, this military technothriller captures the razor’s edge of geopolitics where power, deception, and firepower collide. For decades, Pax Americana’s Navy kept the sea lanes open and the global order intact. But Beijing’s ambitions have outgrown its patience. While the world watches Chinese carriers mass in the Taiwan Strait, the real trap is being laid thousands of miles away. ...

What does China look like from the inside—when you live through its rise, rather than study it from afar? Windows and Walls is a personal, clear-eyed memoir of growing up alongside modern China, written by someone who has crossed villages and megacities, classrooms and boardrooms, China and the world. Born in 1985, the author's life traces four decades of China’s transformation: from rural childhood and exam pressure, to Beijing universities and early entrepreneurship, to building a research company during China’s startup boom, and finally to navigating globalization, decoupling, and ...

Uncover medieval China's economic revolution, where a booming commercial empire birthed the modern bureaucratic world. Perfect for a long drive or an educational commute, this immersive historical journey reveals how an advanced society tackled deeply familiar struggles. You will witness the...

Explore the intense military history and political revolution that destroyed an empire and divided a nation forever. Perfect for a focused commute or an afternoon of deep learning, this gripping narrative captures a violently fracturing society. You will witness the shocking collapse of the Qing...

Plunge into a harrowing military history of survival and revolution during the epic retreat that birthed modern China. Perfect for an absorbing daily commute, this gripping narrative tracks a desperate army breaking through fierce enemy encirclements in the 1930s. Experience the brutal river...

What does it take to reinvent a language? After a meteoric rise, China today is one of the world’s most powerful nations. Just a century ago, it was a crumbling empire with literacy reserved for the elite few, as the world underwent a massive technological transformation that threatened to...