R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

49 Myths about China

Marte Kjær Galtung and Stig Stenslie

Communism is dead in China. “China Inc.” is buying up the world. China has the United States over a barrel. The Chinese are just copycats. China is an environmental baddie, China is colonizing Africa. Mao was a monster. The end of the Communist regime is near. The 21st century belongs to China. Or does it? Marte Kjær Galtung and Stig Stenslie highlight 49 prevalent myths about China’s past, present, and future and weigh their truth or fiction. Leading an enlightening and entertaining tour, the authors debunk widespread “knowledge” about Chinese culture, society, politics, and economy. In some cases, Chinese themselves encourage mistaken impressions. But many of these myths are really about how we Westerners see ourselves, inasmuch as China or the Chinese people are depicted as what we are not. Western perceptions of the empire in the East have for centuries oscillated between sinophilia and sinophobia, influenced by historical changes in the West as much as by events in China. This timely and provocative book offers an engaging and compelling window on a rising power we often misunderstand.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 266 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼
978-1-4422-3622-6 • Hardback • November 2014 • $56.00 • (£43.00)
Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, Political Science / International Relations / General, History / Asia / China
Marte Kjær Galtung is a China analyst at the Norwegian Defence Staff. She has previously worked on China with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; as a cultural attaché at the Norwegian embassy in Beijing, and subsequently on the Norwegian government’s China strategy. She is the author of China: People, History, Politics, and Culture.

Stig Stenslie is head of the Asia Branch of the Norwegian Defence Staff. He has been visiting scholar at, among others, the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, National University in Singapore, and Columbia University in New York. He is the author of several books on contemporary China and the Middle East, most recently Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession and Stability and Change in the Modern Middle East.
Introduction
Part I: The Party
Myth 1: Communism Is Dead in China
Myth 2: China Is Centrally Controlled
Myth 3: The Leadership Is Deeply Divided
Myth 4: The Communist Party Is a Monolith
Myth 5: The Military Is Gaining Political Influence
Myth 6: The Communist Regime Lacks Legitimacy
Myth 7: The Falun Gong Is an Apolitical Movement Persecuted for Its Religious Beliefs
Myth 8: The Chinese Media Is Merely a Mouthpiece of the Communist Party
Part II: The People
Myth 9: Chinese Culture Is Incompatible with Democracy
Myth 10: Chinese Have No Manners
Myth 11: Chinese People Are Not Altruistic
Myth 12: The Individual Has No Value, Only the Collective Does
Myth 13: All Chinese Are Only Children
Myth 14: The Chinese People Are Homogeneous
Myth 15: Communism Has Created Gender Equality in China
Myth 16: The Chinese Are Atheists
Myth 17: Shanghai Is More Liberal Than Beijing
Part III: Business and the Economy
Myth 18: “China Inc.” Is Buying Up the World
Myth 19: China Has the United States over a Barrel
Myth 20: China’s Economy Is Export Driven
Myth 21: Chinese People Are Born Moneymakers
Myth 22: Chinese Don’t Take Risks
Myth 23: The Chinese Are Just Copycats
Myth 24: The State Hinders to Economic Development in China
Myth 25: Unequal Distribution of Wealth Is a Source of Social and Political Unrest
Myth 26: All Economic Development Is Happening in the Big Cities on the East Coast
Part IV: China and the World
Myth 27: The Chinese Are Racist
Myth 28: The Communist Party Is Kindling Nationalism
Myth 29: China Will Once Again Dominate East Asia
Myth 30: China Is Colonizing Africa
Myth 31: China Is an Environmental Baddie
Myth 32: The Chinese Could Tame North Korea—if They Wanted To
Myth 33: China Does Not Interfere in Other States’ Internal Affairs
Part V: The Past
Myth 34: China’s History Spans Five Millennia
Myth 35: China Is Called the “Middle Kingdom” Because Chinese People Believe Their Country Is the Center of the World
Myth 36: China Discovered the World in 1421
Myth 37: All Women Were Oppressed in Ancient China
Myth 38: China Has No Warrior Culture
Myth 39: Chinese History Goes in Circles
Myth 40: Tibet Was a Shangri-la until the Chinese Came
Myth 41: Mao Was a Monster
Myth 42: The Chinese Do Not Care about Their Own Historical Heritage
Part VI: The Future
Myth 43: The Internet Will Topple the Communist Party
Myth 44: The End of the Communist Regime Is Near
Myth 45: The Chinese Are Masters of Long-Term Thinking
Myth 46: The RMB Will Eclipse the Dollar as the World’s Reserve Currency
Myth 47: China Is a Military Threat
Myth 48: Chinese Will Replace English as the World’s Language
Myth 49: The Twenty-First Century Belongs to China
Notes on Transliteration
Bibliography
From the foreword:

Galtung and Stenslie offer a spirited, enjoyable way to improve our insight. It will be a rare reader who doesn’t believe, perhaps unconsciously, in quite a few of the myths skewered in this book. Test yourself by looking at the table of contents and asking how you would disprove these propositions before you go on to read what the authors say. Then see how Galtung and Stenslie correct your mistakes. But don’t worry. They will not make you feel stupid, because they offer not opposing myths but nuanced truths. Their deft approach will be fun for beginners and informative for experts. At the end of reading their forty-ninth essay, one will stand disabused of a bonus, fiftieth myth: the dangerous idea that outsiders cannot understand China.
— Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University


49 Myths about China

Cover Image
Hardback
Summary
Summary
  • Communism is dead in China. “China Inc.” is buying up the world. China has the United States over a barrel. The Chinese are just copycats. China is an environmental baddie, China is colonizing Africa. Mao was a monster. The end of the Communist regime is near. The 21st century belongs to China. Or does it? Marte Kjær Galtung and Stig Stenslie highlight 49 prevalent myths about China’s past, present, and future and weigh their truth or fiction. Leading an enlightening and entertaining tour, the authors debunk widespread “knowledge” about Chinese culture, society, politics, and economy. In some cases, Chinese themselves encourage mistaken impressions. But many of these myths are really about how we Westerners see ourselves, inasmuch as China or the Chinese people are depicted as what we are not. Western perceptions of the empire in the East have for centuries oscillated between sinophilia and sinophobia, influenced by historical changes in the West as much as by events in China. This timely and provocative book offers an engaging and compelling window on a rising power we often misunderstand.
Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 266 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼
    978-1-4422-3622-6 • Hardback • November 2014 • $56.00 • (£43.00)
    Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, Political Science / International Relations / General, History / Asia / China
Author
Author
  • Marte Kjær Galtung is a China analyst at the Norwegian Defence Staff. She has previously worked on China with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; as a cultural attaché at the Norwegian embassy in Beijing, and subsequently on the Norwegian government’s China strategy. She is the author of China: People, History, Politics, and Culture.

    Stig Stenslie is head of the Asia Branch of the Norwegian Defence Staff. He has been visiting scholar at, among others, the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, National University in Singapore, and Columbia University in New York. He is the author of several books on contemporary China and the Middle East, most recently Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession and Stability and Change in the Modern Middle East.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Introduction
    Part I: The Party
    Myth 1: Communism Is Dead in China
    Myth 2: China Is Centrally Controlled
    Myth 3: The Leadership Is Deeply Divided
    Myth 4: The Communist Party Is a Monolith
    Myth 5: The Military Is Gaining Political Influence
    Myth 6: The Communist Regime Lacks Legitimacy
    Myth 7: The Falun Gong Is an Apolitical Movement Persecuted for Its Religious Beliefs
    Myth 8: The Chinese Media Is Merely a Mouthpiece of the Communist Party
    Part II: The People
    Myth 9: Chinese Culture Is Incompatible with Democracy
    Myth 10: Chinese Have No Manners
    Myth 11: Chinese People Are Not Altruistic
    Myth 12: The Individual Has No Value, Only the Collective Does
    Myth 13: All Chinese Are Only Children
    Myth 14: The Chinese People Are Homogeneous
    Myth 15: Communism Has Created Gender Equality in China
    Myth 16: The Chinese Are Atheists
    Myth 17: Shanghai Is More Liberal Than Beijing
    Part III: Business and the Economy
    Myth 18: “China Inc.” Is Buying Up the World
    Myth 19: China Has the United States over a Barrel
    Myth 20: China’s Economy Is Export Driven
    Myth 21: Chinese People Are Born Moneymakers
    Myth 22: Chinese Don’t Take Risks
    Myth 23: The Chinese Are Just Copycats
    Myth 24: The State Hinders to Economic Development in China
    Myth 25: Unequal Distribution of Wealth Is a Source of Social and Political Unrest
    Myth 26: All Economic Development Is Happening in the Big Cities on the East Coast
    Part IV: China and the World
    Myth 27: The Chinese Are Racist
    Myth 28: The Communist Party Is Kindling Nationalism
    Myth 29: China Will Once Again Dominate East Asia
    Myth 30: China Is Colonizing Africa
    Myth 31: China Is an Environmental Baddie
    Myth 32: The Chinese Could Tame North Korea—if They Wanted To
    Myth 33: China Does Not Interfere in Other States’ Internal Affairs
    Part V: The Past
    Myth 34: China’s History Spans Five Millennia
    Myth 35: China Is Called the “Middle Kingdom” Because Chinese People Believe Their Country Is the Center of the World
    Myth 36: China Discovered the World in 1421
    Myth 37: All Women Were Oppressed in Ancient China
    Myth 38: China Has No Warrior Culture
    Myth 39: Chinese History Goes in Circles
    Myth 40: Tibet Was a Shangri-la until the Chinese Came
    Myth 41: Mao Was a Monster
    Myth 42: The Chinese Do Not Care about Their Own Historical Heritage
    Part VI: The Future
    Myth 43: The Internet Will Topple the Communist Party
    Myth 44: The End of the Communist Regime Is Near
    Myth 45: The Chinese Are Masters of Long-Term Thinking
    Myth 46: The RMB Will Eclipse the Dollar as the World’s Reserve Currency
    Myth 47: China Is a Military Threat
    Myth 48: Chinese Will Replace English as the World’s Language
    Myth 49: The Twenty-First Century Belongs to China
    Notes on Transliteration
    Bibliography
Reviews
Reviews
  • From the foreword:

    Galtung and Stenslie offer a spirited, enjoyable way to improve our insight. It will be a rare reader who doesn’t believe, perhaps unconsciously, in quite a few of the myths skewered in this book. Test yourself by looking at the table of contents and asking how you would disprove these propositions before you go on to read what the authors say. Then see how Galtung and Stenslie correct your mistakes. But don’t worry. They will not make you feel stupid, because they offer not opposing myths but nuanced truths. Their deft approach will be fun for beginners and informative for experts. At the end of reading their forty-ninth essay, one will stand disabused of a bonus, fiftieth myth: the dangerous idea that outsiders cannot understand China.
    — Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World
  • Cover image for the book Bangalore Girls: Witnessing the Rise of Nationalism in a Progressive City
  • Cover image for the book Japan’s Quiet Leadership: Reshaping the Indo-Pacific
  • Cover image for the book International Relations of Asia, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book US-China Relations: Perilous Past, Uncertain Present, Fourth Edition
  • Cover image for the book Suffering and Smiling: Daily Life in North Korea
  • Cover image for the book China's Political System
  • Cover image for the book Atal Bihari Vajpayee and India’s Foreign Policy: 1977-2004: Initiatives, Policy Making and Achievements
  • Cover image for the book State and Society in the Philippines, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Southeast Asia Views the United States: Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects
  • Cover image for the book Japanese Foreign Policy at the Crossroads: Challenges and Options for the Twenty-First Century
  • Cover image for the book Values in Foreign Policy: Investigating Ideals and Interests
  • Cover image for the book The Continuing Struggle for Chechnya: Insights into the Past and Present
  • Cover image for the book Religion, State, and Political Culture in Japan: Implications for the Post-Secular World
  • Cover image for the book U.S.-Japan Relations in a Changing World
  • Cover image for the book North Korea through the Looking Glass
  • Cover image for the book Difficult Choices: Taiwan's Quest for Security and the Good Life
  • Cover image for the book The Belt and Road Initiative and the Future of Regional Order in the Indo-Pacific
  • Cover image for the book North Korea’s Foreign Policy: The Kim Jong-un Regime in a Hostile World
  • Cover image for the book New Developments in the Trilateral Relationship between the United States, Taiwan, and China
  • Cover image for the book Modern Japanese Political Thought and International Relations
  • Cover image for the book Federalism in Myanmar
  • Cover image for the book India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present
  • Cover image for the book Poverty and Pacification: The Chinese State Abandons the Old Working Class
  • Cover image for the book The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood
  • Cover image for the book The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Forgotten Voices of the British Empire: How Knowledge was Created and Curated in Colonial India and Burma
  • Cover image for the book North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview
  • Cover image for the book Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China
  • Cover image for the book The New Geopolitics of the South Caucasus: Prospects for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
  • Cover image for the book Singapore: Smart City, Smart State
  • Cover image for the book Collaborative Nationalism: The Politics of Friendship on China's Mongolian Frontier
  • Cover image for the book Rethinking Japan: The Politics of Contested Nationalism
  • Cover image for the book The
  • Cover image for the book China and Iran Readjust Relations: Economic Implications of the Suspended Nuclear Deal
  • Cover image for the book The Political Logic of the US–China Trade War
  • Cover image for the book Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss in the Chinese-Speaking World: Reorienting the Political
  • Cover image for the book China's Strategic Partnerships in Latin America: Case Studies of China's Oil Diplomacy in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, 1991–2015
  • Cover image for the book Taiwan's Relations with Latin America: A Strategic Rivalry between the United States, China, and Taiwan
  • Cover image for the book The Abe Legacy: How Japan Has Been Shaped by Abe Shinzo
  • Cover image for the book Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The Origins of America’s Debate on East Timor
  • Cover image for the book Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World
  • Cover image for the book Bangalore Girls: Witnessing the Rise of Nationalism in a Progressive City
  • Cover image for the book Japan’s Quiet Leadership: Reshaping the Indo-Pacific
  • Cover image for the book International Relations of Asia, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book US-China Relations: Perilous Past, Uncertain Present, Fourth Edition
  • Cover image for the book Suffering and Smiling: Daily Life in North Korea
  • Cover image for the book China's Political System
  • Cover image for the book Atal Bihari Vajpayee and India’s Foreign Policy: 1977-2004: Initiatives, Policy Making and Achievements
  • Cover image for the book State and Society in the Philippines, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Southeast Asia Views the United States: Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects
  • Cover image for the book Japanese Foreign Policy at the Crossroads: Challenges and Options for the Twenty-First Century
  • Cover image for the book Values in Foreign Policy: Investigating Ideals and Interests
  • Cover image for the book The Continuing Struggle for Chechnya: Insights into the Past and Present
  • Cover image for the book Religion, State, and Political Culture in Japan: Implications for the Post-Secular World
  • Cover image for the book U.S.-Japan Relations in a Changing World
  • Cover image for the book North Korea through the Looking Glass
  • Cover image for the book Difficult Choices: Taiwan's Quest for Security and the Good Life
  • Cover image for the book The Belt and Road Initiative and the Future of Regional Order in the Indo-Pacific
  • Cover image for the book North Korea’s Foreign Policy: The Kim Jong-un Regime in a Hostile World
  • Cover image for the book New Developments in the Trilateral Relationship between the United States, Taiwan, and China
  • Cover image for the book Modern Japanese Political Thought and International Relations
  • Cover image for the book Federalism in Myanmar
  • Cover image for the book India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present
  • Cover image for the book Poverty and Pacification: The Chinese State Abandons the Old Working Class
  • Cover image for the book The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood
  • Cover image for the book The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Forgotten Voices of the British Empire: How Knowledge was Created and Curated in Colonial India and Burma
  • Cover image for the book North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview
  • Cover image for the book Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China
  • Cover image for the book The New Geopolitics of the South Caucasus: Prospects for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
  • Cover image for the book Singapore: Smart City, Smart State
  • Cover image for the book Collaborative Nationalism: The Politics of Friendship on China's Mongolian Frontier
  • Cover image for the book Rethinking Japan: The Politics of Contested Nationalism
  • Cover image for the book The
  • Cover image for the book China and Iran Readjust Relations: Economic Implications of the Suspended Nuclear Deal
  • Cover image for the book The Political Logic of the US–China Trade War
  • Cover image for the book Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss in the Chinese-Speaking World: Reorienting the Political
  • Cover image for the book China's Strategic Partnerships in Latin America: Case Studies of China's Oil Diplomacy in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, 1991–2015
  • Cover image for the book Taiwan's Relations with Latin America: A Strategic Rivalry between the United States, China, and Taiwan
  • Cover image for the book The Abe Legacy: How Japan Has Been Shaped by Abe Shinzo
  • Cover image for the book Momentum and the East Timor Independence Movement: The Origins of America’s Debate on East Timor
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...