Age of ambition : chasing fortune, truth, and faith in the new China /

Osnos, Evan, 1976-

Age of ambition : chasing fortune, truth, and faith in the new China / Evan Osnos. - First edition. - x, 403 pages : map ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Fortune. Unfettered -- The call -- Baptized in civilization -- Appetites of the mind -- No longer a slave -- Cutthroat -- Acquired taste -- Truth. Dancing in shackles -- Liberty leading the people -- Miracles and magic engines -- A chorus of soloists -- The art of resistance -- Seven sentences -- The germ in the henhouse -- Sandstorm -- Lightning storm -- All that glitters -- The hard truth -- Part III. Faith. The spiritual void -- Passing by -- Soulcraft -- Culture wars -- True believers -- Breaking out. Part I. Part II.

"A vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformation. From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy--or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don't see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking their lives as their country dramatically changes. As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party's struggle to retain control. He asks probing questions: Why does a government with more success lifting people from poverty than any civilization in history choose to put strict restraints on freedom of expression? Why do millions of young Chinese professionals--fluent in English and devoted to Western pop culture--consider themselves "angry youth," dedicated to resisting the West's influence? How are Chinese from all strata finding meaning after two decades of the relentless pursuit of wealth? Writing with great narrative verve and a keen sense of irony, Osnos follows the moving stories of everyday people and reveals life in the new China to be a battleground between aspiration and authoritarianism, in which only one can prevail"-- "A vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformation"--

National Book Award for Nonfiction, 2014.

9780374280741 0374280746 0374535272 9780374535278 0374712042 9780374712044

40023903295

2013041338


Social change--China.
Economic development--China.
Individualism--China.
Authoritarianism--China.


China--Civilization--2002-
China--Social conditions--2000-
China--Politics and government--2002-

DS779.43 / .O76 2014

951.06

Hours

Mon - Fri: 8.30am - 4.30pm

Weekends and statutory holidays: CLOSED

3 Arden St, Opoho 9010, Dunedin, New Zealand.

03-473 0771 hewitson@prcknox.org.nz

Designed by Catalyst

Powered by Koha