Surname 2
people to make meaningful personal progress because the development model favors institutions,
corporations, and big businesses at the expense of individuals, families, and communities.
Furthermore, the book provides a compelling read of how the political and economic
sources of China’s growth continue to change in ways that have also influenced its regional
power. For instance, the geopolitical power in the Asian region has been affected significantly by
the growing dominance of Chinese power across the region. Countries such as Taiwan, Japan,
and Vietnam have come under the influence of China’s growth, which has also entailed massive
growth of its military power. However, the book explains the manner in which China has ever
sought to balance its trading relationships and military dominance in the region. Such a
complicated relationship continues to reflect in China’s dealing with Taiwan.
For a broad understanding of the dominating themes in the author’s analysis, the book
provides a sweeping analysis of the challenges that relate to urban development in places such as
Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. One area that receives critical attention is the
tendency to develop the urban centers at the expense of the developing areas. In cross-sectional
survey shows that vast populations in rural China endured years of starvation within the same
period that witnessed rapid development in urban centers. On the surface, the authorities want
the matter to appear as though it emerged from poor planning, however, the author explores
critical evidence that suggests a deliberate government policy to exploit the countryside in order
to enrich the urban centers. Perhaps, the matter could be studied alongside other arguments that
have sought to illustrate the fact that China’s perceived growth is at best superficial and at worst
outright scandalous.
In some way, the portrayal of China as an enduring model of progress draws on various
factors that intermingle with perceptions of lack of a human-centered policy and other issues that
